


The Galaxy's Edge

by thecheshirepussycat



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, And Of Course - Freeform, Bounty Hunter!Louis, Character Death, Light Bondage, M/M, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Rescue Missions, Ridiculous pet names, Riding, Rimming, Smut, Space Battles, prince!harry, that isnt explicit though, which includes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-02-22 23:03:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 113,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2524985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecheshirepussycat/pseuds/thecheshirepussycat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Louis is a bounty hunter with a messed up past. Harry is a prince who just wants to prove himself. Niall and Zayn have too many things to figure out together. And Liam just wants to take care of his family.<br/>Things never quite go as they are planned during a simple rescue job.</p><p> </p><p>Working title: Gays in Space</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> In this story I use people/places/things from well known sci-fi works; [Guardians of the Galaxy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2015381/?ref_=nv_sr_1), [Star Wars](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/?ref_=nv_sr_3), [Star Trek](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/?ref_=nv_sr_3), [Firefly](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303461/?ref_=nv_sr_1), [Starfighter](http://starfightercomic.com/comic.php), and [Sailor Moon](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114327/?ref_=nv_sr_1).
> 
> I would have made up all my own things but ugh this is fanfiction, its not like I'm being paid for this. The plot is original, and does not follow any of the works mentioned exactly. I'm just a super nerd who really wanted Larry in space...
> 
> Thank you to [Allison](http://ohmysmokeythebear.tumblr.com/) for the lovely photoset (never used photoshop and she did a wonderful job) and, of course, [Sebastian](http://nsfwtomlinson.tumblr.com/) for reading this first and crying about it. You both are the best XXX
> 
> PS. About the tags, the child abuse is not graphic at all, don't let that turn you off from the story!
> 
> Title from [Arabella by the Arctic Monkeys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn6-TItCazo)
> 
>  
> 
> [Playlist on 8tracks](http://8tracks.com/thecheshirepussycat/the-galaxy-s-edge)

_Christmas Eve, 2000. Somewhere in Doncaster._  

Snow was still falling outside the window as little Louis Tomlinson sat on the edge of his bed. He was flipping through the pages of the book his parents got him for his ninth birthday. It was exactly what he wanted, and he didn’t even care what else they got him for Christmas the next day. If they got him anything else at all.

He could hear his father arguing about where they would be going tomorrow. They had this fight every year, because Mrs. Tomlinson wanted to go to her parent’s cottage in the country, and Mr. Tomlinson demanded they go to see his mother in the city. Just two spoiled adults fighting over which grandparents to show off their children to. Louis wanted to stay home with his sister this year. The four of them could have a nice Christmas like all of the other kids at school would talk about. They all talked about getting plenty of gifts and eating so much food and singing songs and taking pictures… and they talked about feeling love and magic in the air.

Louis didn’t know if he believed in magic to be honest. He liked to read these books about the universe and science and that was magical enough for him. It was exciting for sure, but it was all proven facts. Magic was make-believe, and Louis wasn’t really allowed to do that.

He could hear footsteps coming to his door and Louis quickly grabbed his favorite polaroid of him and Lottie, his sister, to use as a bookmark. He shut his new copy of _The Milky Way and All It’s Wonder_ and waited for his door to be opened. He expected his mother to be the one to yell at him to go to bed, because his father generally was passed out by now.

To Louis’ surprise, it was his father that came stumbling into his room. Mr. Tomlinson shut the door, body swaying with each movement, and Louis could see the brown glass bottle in one of his hands. It was going to be one of _those_ nights, then.

“Hope you had a good birthday boy.” Mr. Tomlinson grunted. “Almost forgot about it. Ha!” He spat, and Louis’ lip curled up between his teeth. “Tomorrow your bratty mother is going to the country and I’m stuck with you and your sister. You’re going to be on your best behavior when we get to the city. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” Louis mumbled. It was too soft for Mr. Tomlinson to hear, however.

In return, Louis was roughly grabbed by his hair and forced to look up at his drunken father. “Don’t you mumble boy.”

Louis cleared his throat. “I-I said, yes sir.”

“Good.” He dropped Louis. “Say goodnight to your sister, then straight to sleep. I don’t want any funny business.”

“Yes sir.” Louis said, louder than the first time so he wasn’t in trouble again. He picked up the book and trotted behind his father to Lottie’s room.

She was already under the covers and mostly asleep, snuggled up with her favorite teddy bear. Her little eyes blinked open when she heard her brother come in. “Night night?”

“Yeah Lots,” Louis said, shutting the door behind him. He sat down next to her on the bed and placed the book between them. “We’re going to the city tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Lottie yawned. She didn’t like their grandmother, always said she smelled terrible. “Do we have to?”

“Afraid so.” Louis leaned down and kissed her forehead, then opened up his book. “Did you tell mother about this? Nobody else knew I wanted it.”

“She and daddy forgot about today! So I-I just pointed to it at the store.” Lottie told him, clutching onto the teddy bear tighter. “Do you like it?”

“Of course I do Lots. Thank you.” Louis whispered. The heard their father banging on the door and demanding Louis to ‘ _hurry the hell up_ ’, so Louis patted down her blanket one more time before he stood up. “Goodnight Lottie.”

Just as Louis left her room, he was kicked down the hall by his father. Louis only walked faster, practically running into his room and slamming the door. He thought he heard his father yell at him again, but Louis didn’t care, he just hopped onto his bed. Suddenly, there was a flash of green light outside his window. He blinked a few times, not sure if it really happened, but then there was another flash, then a red one. Then a back and forth, rapid mix of red and green lights began hurdling lower and lower. Louis gasped at the sight and threw open the shades over his window.

There was a loud, booming crash echoing from the woods. Louis could see something land in the distance, down the hill and into the woods.

Could it be? Every year people talked about Santa Clause, who would come down children’s chimneys and leave them presents. Louis didn’t think he believed it, even when his parents said some of his presents were from Santa. Still, red and green lights falling from the sky?

“Santa?” Louis whispered. Had that man really crash landed in the forest behind his own house? What if he was hurt? What if one of his reindeer was hurt? Louis couldn’t just sit here while Santa was grounded in the cold snow, unable to deliver his presents!

But, Louis also couldn’t leave the house, could he? He would surely get caught by someone, probably his father, and then he would have to be punished. But… it was his birthday, and Christmas… exceptions could be made. So, Louis quickly ran back into his room, his mother probably left and his father probably passed out, grabbed his jacket and boots, and climbed out of the window. He didn’t even put away the book, just had it tucked under his arm while he ran to the woods.

There were the lights again, and a little puff of smoke, as Louis got closer to the crash site. Trees had been blown down around the crash, and whatever it was that fell made a giant crater in the ground. Louis wasn’t even sure how far away from his house he was now. He looked back and only saw a small speck of light from their porch. Too late to turn back now. So, Louis kept going to the crash, and as he got closer he tripped over a pile of ice, landing with an “ _oomph!_ ” in the cold snow.

There was someone shouting, and the sound of tools being tossed around. “Dammit to hell!” The voice reminded Louis of a western movie, like it was an American Cowboy or down there. Was Santa a cowboy?

Probably not, because when Louis crawled a few more feet, he could see who had landed. Certainly not Santa, maybe. Louis had never actually _seen_ Santa Clause, so who’s to say all the pictures and movies of him are correct? Santa very well could be this odd man with blue skin and red markings, and a—a spaceship. That was definitely an alien spaceship. So, maybe Santa was an alien? And there didn’t seem to be any reindeer either… No red suit, rosy cheeks, white beard, fat belly, reindeer or sled, but it could still be him. This odd, chubby, blue-skinned, Southern-American alien might be Santa.

Probably not.

The only way to really find out, however, would be to stand up and ask him. Which is exactly what Louis does. He dusted off the excess snow from his pants, pulled his book tightly to his chest, and made a tiny cough to get this person’s attention. “Santa?”

“Dang shit!” The blue man shouted, banging the top of his head on the door of his ship. He rubbed his head and quickly looked around, until he saw little Louis staring at him with wide, blue eyes. “A native! Well, shit. You ain’t supposed to be seein’ me. Run along.”

“A-are you Santa Clause?” Louis asked, barely above a whisper.

The blue man rubbed his inky into his ear and squinted at Louis. “Santa who? Kiddo—what’s your name?”

“Louis, sir. Louis Tomlinson.”

“Sir? Ha!” The blue man let out a hearty laugh, patting his belly. “Ain’t nobody called me sir in a long time. I like you Kiddo. Now, Louis I’ve no clue who Santa whatever is, and you’ve no reason to be out here all by your lonesome. Your parents are gonna worry.”

“Not mine.” Louis mumbled. He looked down at his toes nervously, because he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone what happens in his home. Mother said it was nobody’s business. “They’re asleep.”

The blue man cocked a suspicious eyebrow at him, clicking his tongue. “You should still be getting home. Young boys like you need your sleep. Help you grow big and strong.”

“I-I’ll be fine, really.” Louis said, lips quirking into a smile. “What’s your name?”

The man sighed, sitting on the edge of his ship. “Yondu Udonta. Just Yondu to my friends.” He kicked the side of his ship with his foot and it rattled for a moment before firing up again. “Woo hoo! You might be lucky Kiddo! Come ‘ere. I’ll show you a thing.”

Louis’ face lit up and he hopped down to the ship, placing his book on one of the wings. “What happened to you?”

“Damn faulty warp core.” Yondu grunted. “Due for an upgrade last week, but like an _idiot_ I decided to wait till after this run. System damn well zeroed out just as I was leavin’ your moon.”

“Y-you were on the moon?” Louis asked, wide-eye and stunned. He glanced up into the sky, but it was too foggy to really see anything. “What were you doing up there?”

“Gettin’ these.” Yondu hoisted up a crate from the rear of the ship and slammed it into the snowy ground. He unlocked a couple latches, then the crate opened the rest of the way on its own. He waved Louis over, excitedly patting the edges of the crate. “These here Kiddo are moon rocks. From the dark side of your moon. Go on, touch ‘em.”

With a mesmerized glint in his eyes, Louis reached into the crate and ran a finger over one of the coarse rocks. They were cold and chalky to the touch, and for a second, it looked like they sparkled. “ _Oh_ , those are really from the moon?”

“Yes indeed,” Yondu said with a crooked-toothed grin. He hit a button on the side of the crate, and it closed and locked itself once again. “Got a lady on a planet in the first quadrant paying a lot of money for these. She wants to open up some Galaxy Gem museum or somethin’, not really sure.”

“First quadrant?” Louis asked.

Yondu blinked at him a few times, then snapped his fingers with a chuckle. “Keep forgettin’! You’re kind is so damn young, haven’t even finished developing space travel yet.”

Louis stared up at him, because if school taught him anything it was that Earth was billions of years old. And by extension, humans were probably millions of years old. How old could this alien’s people possibly be? “We-we’ve been to the moon, though! And they send satellites out to the atmosphere all the time!”

“Hey now! It ain’t a competition.” Yondu said, hands up and still chuckling at Louis. His eyes flashed up to Louis’ book for a moment. “What’s that you got there?”

“Oh!” Louis grabbed the book and started flipping through the pages. “It’s a birthday present! It’s got everything about the Milky Way and space in it.”

“Well looky here,” Yondu said. He picked up the book and read through the table of contents. “Doesn’t have everythin’ in it though, but it’s a handy guide for travelling this part of the second quadrant.”

 “We’re in the second quadrant?” Louis asked curiously. He’d never heard of quadrants before, not in any book about space.

“That’s right.” Yondu pointed up at the night sky. “All those stars you see are part of the second quadrant. The Milky Way’s set up in a four part grid system where I’m from. This map in this here book barely covers about half of the second quadrant, but don’t worry, your scientists will get better in time. I come from the third quadrant, a really far sector of it too.”

“ _Wow_.” Louis marveled, staring with Yondu at the sky. He couldn’t believe so many experts were wrong about space. They weren’t as advanced as he thought. “I want to go up there.”

Yondu raised his brow. “Maybe one day you will. But for now you do need to be gettin’ home.”

“Oh, no please! Tell me more about space and travelling, _please_.” Louis begged. He didn’t want to go home, not to that grim place. He wanted to see the moon, the other quadrants. He wanted to learn all about the universe by being all around it. He didn’t want to go back to the place where he’s shut out and hurt by the people that are supposed to love him.

“Now,” Yondu coughed, handing Louis back his closed book. “Now, Louis. I-I can’t take you with me. Your daddy will—” Yondu stopped himself when he finally saw them. There on Louis’ neck were large, finger shaped bruises, and a scratch just below his ear. “How did you get those?”

Louis’ breath hitched and he immediately covered his neck with his hand. People weren’t supposed to see those. His father was going to be furious. “It’s n-nothing.”

“You ain’t gotta lie to me Kiddo,” Yondu said, softly nudging Louis’ side. “I got nobody to tell.”

Louis’ lip started trembling, and he sniffled a bit, blinking away any tears that were going to form. “M-my father did it. Yesterday.”

“And that scratch? Did your daddy do that too?”

“No.” Louis whispered. “M-my mother did it.”

“ _Shit_.” Yondu groaned, rubbing his eyes with one hand. “Your parents shouldn’t be doin’ that to you. Fuck!”

“I-I’m sorry, I—”

“No, don’t you worry. I ain’t mad at you Kiddo.” Yondu sighed. He stood up and looked down at Louis sadly, pitifully. Who could hurt such a nice kid? What kind of parents would lay their hands on this child? Or any child for that matter? “I’m mad at those sad excuses for parents you been stuck with. Shit.”

Louis cringed as Yondu started pacing, muttering things to himself. He kept looking at Louis with some sort of indecision in his eyes. As if he was trying to figure out what to do with Louis, or with this information. He kept swearing under his breath, until finally Yondu threw his hands up and stopped his pacing. “Damn my good conscience,” He muttered. “Kiddo, how would you feel about leavin’ with me? Goin’ all around the galaxy, just like you want?”

“Really?” Louis burst into a face-splitting smile. “I’ll get to be in space?”

“If you want.” Yondu shrugged. “I always wanted me a companion, you know, someone I can train up to follow in my footsteps.”

“Wow! I’d love to!” Louis jumped up and started to climb into the ship, but Yondu grabbed his hand to say one more thing.

“Now, this here is a big decision. You gotta leave all this behind, everythin’.” Yondu said in a warning tone.

For a second Louis thought about the things he’d leave behind, the people. His friends at school weren’t really all that great, and he could always make more when they travelled. His sister, however… he loved Lottie, he really did, but there was a part of him that knew she was the favorite child. She never got in trouble like he did. Somewhere in Louis’ childishly optimistic mind he thought that by him leaving, his parents might clean up their act. They would realize they were so horrible that they made him run away. Lottie would be better off without him there to make them so mad all the time. He still had the picture of the two of them, smiling really close to the camera, and he could always come back to see her when he was older. Yes, he was going into space, like he always dreamed.

“I-I’ll go. I’ll be good and listen to everything you say, and be the best companion ever.” Louis promised with a curt nod of his head.

Yondu smirked, also nodding, and he clapped his hands together. “Well alright then. To outer space it is.”

The ship seemed bigger on the inside than the outside when Louis finally got in. He settled in one of the bunks on the lower deck and carefully stored his book and coat in a compartment. Yondu took him up to the top deck and showed him around the control consul, even let him buckle up in the co-pilot’s seat. Yondu didn’t actually have a co-pilot, he didn’t need one to fly the ship. It just so happened this particular ship was built for more than one. Louis swung his tiny feet back and forth while Yondu started up the ship and they began to hover.

“Yondu, today’s my birthday. I-I didn’t mention that.” Louis said quietly.

Yondu laughed fondly at him. “Well then! Happy birthday Kiddo!” They both cheered when Yondu pulled down a switched and punched the ship into hyper drive.

The beginning of an adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions about the story for me, you can ask them at [my tumblr](http://the-cheshire-pussy-cat.tumblr.com/ask). I'll try to answer as best I can, as long as it doesn't give away any spoilers.
> 
> And don't forget to leave comments and kudos :)


	2. Back in the Atmosphere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, official first chapter! this is an introduction chapter, really to the main characters and plot, and also gives a bit of background on this universe... this is also, so far, the longest chapter i have written.  
> anyway, enjoy, love you all :)
> 
> Chapter title from [Drops of Jupiter by Train](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xf-Lesrkuc)

_Earth year 2014. Xandar Planet’s capitol city._

The Xandarian province of the first quadrant consists of three planets; Xandar, the main and largest planet, Xandor the second largest, and Xandiir the smallest, the latter two of which are colonized planets. It isn’t the biggest of provinces in the first quadrant, but because all three planets had many natural resources and luxuries, it was the richest. The people of Xandar prided themselves on manners, understanding of people in other situations, and intergalactic peace. It was Louis Tomlinson’s favorite place to do business with. Especially since they paid so well and very rarely went back on their words.

The people of these planets were also very human-like. Besides the fact that their skin tones ranged from purple to blue to pink to yellow, it was a bit like being on earth. You get used to the odd colors after a while. Louis remembered when Yondu first took him to Xandar to deliver their latest bounty, and all of the people were in awe of Louis’ tan skin. He didn’t think he was all that special on Earth, but on Xandar Louis was a rare beauty. It was nice that he could make women swoon and have his pick of the men.

He never got to stay on Xandar for as long as he really wanted to after a job. There was always another bounty to collect in another province. That was the life he chose, though. Yondu would call what they were “Bounty Hunters and Commodity Procurers” Because he liked to put it into fancy terms. Really, it was just collecting criminals for money and gathering expensive items for money. It had the adventure and space travel Louis always wanted when he was a kid, though, so he wasn’t complaining.

Louis was on his way to a regular client, with some sort of jeweled necklace recovered from a dead planet. A dead planet was one that either a) used up its entire atmosphere and was unfit for indigenous life, or b) fell into mass war and was completely destroyed. Sometimes Louis wondered what category earth would fall into when it inevitably became a dead planet. The planet Louis got the necklace from had used up its atmosphere, so there weren’t even small animals following him around, just little bugs. Like cockroaches. Those little shits literally exist everywhere. However, being alone there did make this one of the easiest jobs Louis had ever been on. He finished so fast that he was ready to take a little break on Xandar before picking up the next job.

It was pretty early in the morning when Louis got to the Broker’s emporium, earlier than Louis would usually be up, but he was sort of escaping a terrible one night stand. Honestly, Xandarians are hung as hell, yet last night’s man couldn’t hit a prostate if it killed him. He passed out after only one round anyway, and Louis was happy he could just get out of there. Louis didn’t even catch the guy’s name, which was pretty new for him. Louis liked hooking up with someone after a job was finished, a little reward to himself, but he usually had enough sense to learn their name… that should have been red flag number one.

Oh well.

Broker was early this morning too, because he showed up only minutes after Louis, waving happily when he saw him. He was an older man, about sixty in human years, and his yellow skin had wrinkles all around. His head was balding with only a little bit of grey hair. “Young Louis Tomlinson! Wonderful to see you lad.”

“Lovely to see you as well, Broker,” Louis greeted with a nod. He as leaned against the wall of the emporium, one leg bent up so his foot could be propped on the brick. His long red coat hung perfectly on his small, compact frame, and in his gloved hands was a velvet covered box. “Believe I have something you are interested in.”

“Oh Louis, you never do disappoint!” Broker clapped his hands together and approached the door. He placed a hand over the scanner, while punching in a code and it slid open. “Come on in and let’s see it then.”

Louis followed Broker inside the emporium, smiling at the jewels and trinkets in glass cases. It was so clean and shiny, so calming to look at, like most places on Xandar. They stopped at the main desk, and Louis carefully placed the box down on the glass. Broker turned the opening of the box to himself, yellow hands looking even brighter next to the black velvet.

“I expect there was no trouble?” Broker asked as he lifted the lid to inspect the necklace.

“No sir.” Louis said, hopping up onto the desk. He picked up a tiny potted plant and started twiddling themselves with his fingers. “Still no atmosphere, though. Shame really, the ruins made it look like such a nice place.”

“I’m sure it was.” Broker picked up the necklace and squinted his eyes at it. The chain was astro-silver, which can only be mined from asteroids, and the gems were pure rubies. It was gorgeous and sparkly, and a part of Louis was a bit disappointed that he would have to give it up. “My customer’s grandparents were from that planet. This is a family heirloom. I’m confident they will be pleased with this recovery.”

“Well, I always aim to please,” Louis winked. It was true, however, Louis’ constant need to just please people. Yondu always said he just had really good manners, but it somehow felt like more to Louis, like he needed to be perfect. Louis put the plant back in its spot and leaned back on both of his hands, feet swing in front. “Especially with a client as generous as you.”

“You and your father have been doing good work for me for years. How is old Yondu anyway?”

“Still retired, still on Tattooine.” Louis said. “His Pod track really took off since its first tournament, though. It’s one of the most popular destinations on the planet.”

When Yondu adopted Louis as his own, he kept his promise to teach Louis everything he knew. They made a name for themselves and when Louis was eighteen, an Empress from a second quadrant planet hired them to retrieve her stolen crown jewels. The reward money was so much that Yondu decided to retire on his home planet, and officially pass the torch to Louis. He bought Louis a ship, now named the Donny, and began fixing up an old pod racing track back home. Louis visits as often as he can, because he really did come to love Yondu like a real father. In his eyes, there was no better soul in the galaxy.

“Good for him,” Broker said as he shut the necklace away and placed its box into a safe behind the desk. “You raced there for a little while didn’t you?”

“Yeah, the first year it opened I raced for him.” Louis said proudly. “Won a few races. It was fun, but nothing like my actual job.”

“A job I expect you would like to paid for?” Broker asked, reaching under his desk for the money.

“Oh yes that would be lovely.” Louis said, batting his eyelashes. “Not really any point to all this if I’m not getting paid.”

Broker smiled at him, and counted out a stack of units, licking his fingers between placements of bills. “10,000 units was the agreed price I believe?”

“Yes sir.” Louis hopped back off the counter and picked up his payment, counted it out for himself, and then slipped it into the pocket on the inside of his jacket. “Just enough for some upgrades on the Donny.”

“Not going to save it up then?” Broker asked. “You could use a vacation at one of those Paradise planets.”

“No, no.” Louis chuckled, waving a hand by his face. “No point in a vacation now, really. I need like my work.”

“You must have some sort of plan for the future, right? You’re so young Louis! Boys your age should be having fun.”

“I have fun.” Louis huffed. He shrugged his shoulders and looked up at the telescreen behind the desk, and used its reflection to fix his hair. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with the rest of my life, but for now I’m having fun with this. Don’t fret about me.”

Broker laughed and shook his head at Louis. He’d known him for long enough to realize that Louis is just as lost about his future as everyone his age should be. Broker pressed a button on the desk and the telescreen turned on with the morning news.

**“Prince Harry Styles announced last week that he officially completed his training for the Star Fight Initiative, and it seems he will be shipping out today for his first tour. The twenty-one year old Prince has stated many times that he is excited and honored to get to protect and serve his home planet and province…”**

The reporter continued talking while an image of Prince Harry flashed on the screen. He was wearing his black Navigator’s uniform, helmet in one hand while the other waved, and his hair was pulled back into a bun. Louis’ only ever seen formal picture of the Prince, hair half in a bun and half down, and something about this picture did things to Louis. The prince was gorgeous in his uniform, and his ink skin seemed to be extra smooth. Yes, the entire royal Styles clan had hot pink skin, much like a lot of other people on Xandar. There was something about the royal family, however, that made the pink skin look even more beautiful. Louis didn’t realize he was staring at the Prince until Broker waved a hand in front of his eyes.

Louis blinked a few times and shook his head, giggling nervously. “Right, were you saying something?”

“Oh no, didn’t want you drooling on my nice desk is all.” Broker said with a smug little smirk.

Louis smiled as he licked his lips and scratched down the back of his neck. “What can I say? You Xandarians are a beautiful group of people.”

“Oh you do like to flatter.” Broker said with a dark yellow blush on his cheeks.

“It’s one of my specialties.” Louis winked, then straightened himself up and zipped his jacket. “Now, I really have to go. I need to get a place to sleep and take my ship to its upgrades.”

“How long will you be on Xandar this time?”

Louis shrugged. “However long it takes to finish the ship. Have a good day Broker.”

“Oh wait!” Broker jumped up, clapping his hands together once in front of his chest. “Just one more second, I want to give you something.” He ran to a room behind the desk and Louis could hear boxes being moved and opened. Not a minute later, Broker was back out with a pamphlet in his hands. “You don’t have to do anything with this but here’s a mini guide of the Paradise Planets. If you ever do want a vacation, just go ahead and read through it.”

“Thank you Broker,” Louis said as he took the pamphlet.

He said goodbye one more time before walking out to his ship. Once inside, Louis plopped down in the pilot’s chair and opened the pamphlet. He wasn’t looking for a vacation or a getaway, but he was curious about the Paradise Planets.

“Endor, Vulcan, Naboo, Jesus Christ. How do they even get the planets like this? There’s gotta be at least ten of ‘em.” Louis whispered to himself as he continued to read through the list. He sighed to himself, looking up and around at his empty ship. He wasn’t ever lonely, but now that he was looking at these planets, he realized it might be nice to travel with someone.

+

The palace halls of the Xandarian royal family are bustling with activity. Servants were running all around, preparing for the Prince’s departure, and the Kind and Queen were stressed as ever. They fully supported him and the Star Fight Initiative, but they still worried for him. The furthest Harry has ever been from home was to Xandiir for training, but even that isn’t much of a stretch.

Harry was still asleep in his room by the afternoon. He was looking forward to getting out and protecting Xandar, being right in the action, but a part of him wondered if joining up was really the right choice. Of course, with his sister being the Crown Princess, there really wasn’t much else Harry could do. He thought that joining would help him find some self-worth, and make him a Prince for Xandarians to be proud of.

He was lying in bed, face mushed into his soft pillows, and blanket only covering half of his naked body. The way the light from his big bedroom window was hitting Harry’s body made his normally hot pink sin look closer to magenta. His dark brown, curly hair was in a mess around his head, and he was snoring quietly. His sister came in and found him like this, as she usually did when she woke him up. He was so peaceful, and it hurt a little to know that soon he would be in war zones. Gemma sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed, and then she grabbed a pillow and proceeded to hit him over the head with it.

“Wake up sleepy head.” She chimed when she heard Harry whine under the pillow. “Big day today.”

“Five more minutes Gem.” Harry groaned, his voice muffled by the pillow.

“You realize you will have to wake up much earlier than this once you ship out, right?” Gemma asked, picking the pillow up again.

The prince’s eyes blinked open and glared up at her. “So I should get as much sleep as I can now.”

“Don’t be silly Haz.” She poked his side several times, until he reached out and grabbed her hand. Gemma sighed, “Get up and get cleaned and dressed. I’ll do your hair for you.”

Harry blew a stray curl out of his face and leaned up on his elbows. “ _Awe_. You mean like when we were kids?”

She rolled her eyes at his mocking tone, but reached out pushed the long curls out of his face anyway. “Yes, Haz, like when we were kids.” She lightly slapped his cheek, “Now wake up.”

“You know I’m naked under here, right?”

“Why do you think I didn’t just pull the covers off? You think I want to see your bare arse?” She asked jokingly. She covered her eyes with her hands and turned so she wasn’t facing the bed. “Go ahead and put some pants on then.”

Harry groaned and rolled himself over on the bed, swinging both feet onto the ground. There was a set of underwear spilled out onto the floor from the previous evening, so Harry picked it up. After making sure he was decent, Harry left the room to wash up in his bathroom.

“Have you met your fighter yet?” Gemma asked from the other room.

“Not yet, his call sign is Grimmy though,” Harry shouted after spitting out his toothpaste.

In the SFI each ship had two crew members, a navigator and a fighter. Harry was trained to be a navigator, the one who directed the ship to where it needed to go. Fighters did exactly what their title implied, fought. They were in charge of guns and shields, but were considered second to navigators. It was exactly how Harry wanted it to be, with him in control of the ship. Harry got to decide exactly where they fought. He just wished he met his fighter before the day they left for the Mother-ship.

“He’s got a good record at the academy, so hopefully we’ll work well together.”

“I’m sure if there are any problems the commander will reassign you two.” Gemma said.

Harry stepped out of the bathroom and over to his duffle bag. He had everything we needed already packed, and his uniform was already laid out next to it. Gemma uncovered her eyes as Harry got dressed and smiled fondly at how handsome looked. He glanced back at her for a moment and snorted. “You’re making that face again.”

“What face?”

“That one you always make when I put my uniform on.” Harry said, scrunching up his face and making a stupid smile to mock her.

She giggled at him and walked over from the bed. “I’m just very proud of my baby brother is all. You’re going to be somebody’s hero.”

“And you’re going to be Queen.” Harry reminded her. “I’m just a soldier.”

“My favorite soldier, though.” Gemma cooed. She took his hand and directed him to a chair, walking around behind him. “Well, favorite in a tie with Ashton.”

Harry laughed, “Oh, of _course_. Can’t forget about the betrothed.”

Ashton Irwin was the son of a Xandarian Duke and a soldier in the NOVA Core, the Xandarian ground soldiers. He and Harry were best friends growing up, but when they were teenagers, Ashton fell in love with Gemma. A year ago, when Ashton turned twenty, he and Gemma told the Kind and Queen about their romance, so a marriage arrangement was made. He was still Harry’s best friend, however, yet Harry was happy to watch him be with Gemma. Harry knew his sister and their planet would be in kind and trusting hands.

“We’re all really going to miss you, Hazza.” Gemma sighed as she started brushing out his long hair. She picked up a hair tie from on top of Harry’s dresser, and began to pull his hair back. She shaped it into a tight bun and tie it in place, patting his shoulders when she was done.

“It’s just a four month tour, Gem. I’ll be back before you know,” Harry assured her as he stood up and checked himself out in the mirror. It was always a bit daunting to look at himself in his uniform. He felt so official.

“Yes, four months and then you’ll be back for two weeks, and then gone again.”

“I can’t control the tour Gem.” Harry said. He turned around and zipped up his duffle bag, a little antsy now. He cracked his neck with a little jerk and glanced up at his sister. “I’ll send messages as often as I can.”

“I know you will.” Gemma said sadly. She linked their arms together and they walked out of Harry’s room.

The walk to the main entrance of the palace was filled with bowing servants and goodbyes to their prince. Harry politely thanked them and said his own farewells, and it wasn’t long until he could see the usual court for his parents. About ten lords and ladies were waiting for him and Gemma, including a very nervous looking Ashton, and a pair of people Harry didn’t recognize.

They were tall and thin, with pale yellow skin, and Harry figured they must have something to do with his fight. His mother, the Queen, was the first to see them coming.

“Harry! Gemma! Finally joining us,” Queen Anne greeted them each with a kiss to the cheek. She lingered a hand on Harry’s cheek, while smiling at her son, close to tears. “My boy. You—you do look _so_ grown up.”

“We’re so proud of you for choosing this, son.” King Robin said, standing behind the Queen.

“Thanks Dad, Mum.” Harry flushed under their doting gazes. He kissed his mother and gave his father a very tight hug, only now realizing how much he’d miss them.

When he was away for training it was easier, because they could still talk to each other through Holo-chats, a system that project holograms of each other. Now that he would really be working, they would have to settle for tele-messages, which weren’t live. The other downside of this system was that it couldn’t be done all the time. There would be places where Harry couldn’t connect, or times when he just wouldn’t be allowed to.

“It’s going to be so weird not seeing you mate.” Ashton spoke up. He and Harry smirked at each other for a second before Harry pushed past his family, and practically tackled Ash into a tight hug. “Oh Gods, I think you’re stronger than I am now.”

“Ha, funny since I’ll be sitting on my arse for my job.” Harry joked. He pulled back and looked over his shoulder at Gemma, and then back to Ashton. “Don’t let anything happen to her while I’m gone, yeah? I’d _hate_ to have to become king _that_ way.”

Behind them Gemma groaned and rolled her eyes. “I can take care of myself, you twats. Be nice Haz, or I just might have the wedding while you’re gone.”

“ _Rude_. So rude Gem, honestly I—”

“Alright, alright you two.” Robin stepped in. he pulled Harry by his arm to the new people and put on his best, formal smile. “Duke and Duchess Grimshaw, the is my son, Prince Harry. Harry, these are the parents of your fighter.”

“Very nice to meet you two then,” Harry said politely, shaking their hands. The smiles they gave seemed stiff, almost fake, and something about them was off to harry. Even as they formally greeted him, with a bow and a curtsy, they didn’t seem… genuine. That’s the only good word to use. “And where is my new partner then? I’m anxious to meet him.”

“Our son is waiting on the flight deck.” The Duchess said. “He wanted to do the preliminary take off check-ups before you meet. Prove he’ll be an efficient fighter.”

“That’s very kind of him.” Anne said, sounding already approving of him, even though they hadn’t met. How could she not feel the strange energy from these people? Or, perhaps Harry was just being nervous and paranoid, because of the stress of going to battles with an utter stranger. “Shall we go and meet him now?”

The group moved themselves out to the flight deck of the palace, with Harry and his father leading them. The ship wasn’t very big, as it was only for two people, and it was mad with a black metal, best for being stealthy in the darkness of space. A man who looked similar to the Duke and Duchess was leaning against the cockpit window, big grin on his face.

“Well, well, well.” The man, Grim, chuckled when he saw them approach. “Would you look at that? Entire court came out to see the prince off. What an honor.”

There was a bit of arrogance in his voice that unsettled Harry. “I wanted to sleep in, like they should be— _oomph_!”

The King elbowed Harry’s side and whispered to tell him to be polite. Grim continued smirking at them, and their exchange, as he kicked off from the ship and extended a hand to Harry. “Nicholas Grimshaw, call sigh Grim. Oh, should I be bowing now?”

Again, the tone of his voice displeased Harry, as if everything Grim said was meant to insult him. “No, you don’t ever have to do that. We’re equals now I think.”

“Oh how _noble_ of you.”

They shook hands and Harry looked over his shoulder with a frown. Gemma and Ashton looked entirely unimpressed, while the older adults of the court didn’t seem to notice anything was wrong. Harry cleared his throat. “Right, um, well I’m Harry Styles, call sign Hazza. But, I suppose you knew all that. I hope we’ll work well together.”

“Sure, sure.” Grim turned around and lifted the door of the cockpit so he could jump in. “My stuff’s in the left bunk there, bit cramped though.”

“Okay.” Harry didn’t particularly like sleeping on the right side. There’s no reason for it, though, just one of those things. “I’ll be up in a second.”

Harry said his last goodbyes to his parents and the court, hugging Gemma for an extra-long time, then Ashton.

Ashton whispered to Harry, “I don’t like this guy. But of a prick.”

“Probably just takes some getting used to” Harry replied, eyeing Nick on the ship. “I’ll be fine Ash.”

However, as Harry settled into his navigator’s seat after putting away his things, Grim was making some joke about being a pampered prince. Harry pretended it was funny, because he had no interest in starting off his tour with drama. Still, Gemma’s reassignment idea was looking better and better.

+

The repairman told Louis it would take him about a month to complete all the upgrades he wanted, so Louis found himself staying in a cheap motel in the meantime. It wasn’t so bad there, but it got a bit boring sometimes. Louis made a habit of going to a bar a few blocks away a couple nights a week. The owners were pretty nice, as were the customers, but again, most people were nice on Xandar. Louis ended up taking a few of the men back to his room, but none of them were entirely memorable. Just a way to pass the time.

He was in the bar again, the day before the Donny was set to be completed, swirling his pinky into a bright green drink. As in, the drink was glowing green. It was so tasty too, Louis drank at least one every night. The telescreen was showing the news of the day, but Louis wasn’t really paying attention. He had his own miniscreen device to read through. It showed him a list of jobs he could pick up once he was able to leave the planet. There was a bounty on some low-level thief on Tattooine that was catching his attention. He could visit Yondu while cleaning it up.

The bartender came over to Louis once his green-glowy drink was empty and gave him another one. “Oh, I didn’t ask for another round.”

“Compliments of that gentleman,” The bartender gestured with his head to a man with purple skin and perfect hair on the other end of the bar.

“Ah,” Louis gave him a smile and took a sip from the drink. He didn’t really have any interest in taking anyone to his room tonight, though, but he wouldn’t pass up free drinks. How impolite would that be? “Cheers then.”

He could still feel the man’s eyes on him, and was a second away from letting him down easy, when an alarm sounded from the telescreen.

**“Breaking News! Prince Harry Styles has reportedly been captured by Coruscant forces. Our sources tell us he and his fight were on a routine sweep with nine other ships when the Prince’s ship lost contact with the SFI mothership. The other members of the sweep say Prince Harry’s ship was isolated from the others for an unknown reason, and was soon lost. It is believed Prince Harrys own fighter, Nicholas “Grim” Grimshaw, is the culprit behind the kidnapping.**

**Duke and Duchess Grimshaw were apprehended earlier today and charged with treason. Authorities have found evidence of contact with Coruscant-based terrorists in their home. It appears as though the family were spies for Coruscant. As you know Coruscant has been at odds with Xandar’s province for years, hoping to take control of Xandor and expand their own province. This capture of a member of our beloved royal family is the first direct instance of terrorism from them in over a year.**

**Along with a special task force from the SFI, the devastated Queen Anne and King Robin have reportedly hired Bounty Hunter duo Niall Horan and Zayn Malik to assist in any underground leads. The duo has the highest return rate of any hunters that work out of Xandar. There is no word yet on where our young prince could be.”**

Murmuring broke out in the bar, everyone nervous and panicked over the news. Louis was a bit concerned, of course, but this wasn’t his home, it wasn’t his royal family. He wasn’t completely heartless and indifferent, though, and who could be, looking at all these worried faces. He didn’t know a lot about the conflict with Coruscant, even did some work for a person on that planet. That was just one time, though, he liked Xandar a lot more.

The prince was hot though, Louis couldn’t deny that. A real charmer with his people, too. So maybe now was a good time to be leaving the planet, what with all the people turning their attention to the prince. Nobody with a lot of money would be focused on Louis’ kind of services right now.

Louis tipped back the rest of his second green drink and finished it off, before tossing a couple extra credits to the bartender. “Sorry about the prince.”

“Y-yeah. Goodness that’s too bad. He’s a good kid you know? Everyone loves him.” The bartender said. It was plainly clear was right about that.

“I’ve never met Niall and Zayn myself, but there are plenty of stories about them. If anyone can find Prince Harry, it’s those two.” Louis assured him. Louis pocketed his miniscreen and made his way to the other side of the bad, stopping when he was next to the purple man. “Thanks for the drink.”

“Welcome.” The man said to Louis’ coy smile, gently touching his forearm. “Do you wanna get out of here?”

“I do,” Louis said, retracting his arm from the man’s fingers. “Sadly for you I’ll be going by myself.”

“Another time then.” Purple man sighed, reaching out to Louis’ hand and leaving a kiss on his knuckles.

“Maybe.” Louis pulled his hand into his chest and gave the man a wave, before turning on his toes and sauntering out of the bar. He smiled to himself as he zipped up his jacket in the cold nighttime air, and started the journey back to his motel.

Louis only got half a block away, when he noticed a second, much bigger, shadow following his own. Of course he didn’t expect to be the only one walking there, but when he slowed down, so would this shadow, when he sped up, so would the shadow. It couldn’t be another shadow for himself, either, because nothing else had two shadows. Then Louis strained his ears and he could hear the faint sound of footsteps. Was he being followed? Why would someone follow him?

Being a bounty hunter, Louis has had plenty of run-ins with the law, because sometimes catching a bounty meant breaking public property. This time, however, Louis was just returning lost property, and there were no broken laws. Unless, that necklace _didn’t_ belong to Broker’s clients… and Louis probably stole it from it was safely hidden. Oh shit. No, that couldn’t be it, because Broker was a stand up business man… unless _he_ didn’t know it was stolen… Okay, Louis was just going to keep walking, and maybe this guy would leave.

He didn’t leave. After walking two blocks, and only having one more until Louis was safe in his room, the man was still behind him. Louis started to walk faster, and then he heard the man whisper.

“Are you sure this is him Milady?” That left Louis a little confused. “If you say so… I’ll bring him in now.”

Bring him in? Oh _fuck_ that. Louis tried to break out into a run, but he felt a sharp pain in his back and then a surge of electricity coursing through every bone and vein in his body. He yelped and fell to the ground, twitching a bit, before the man stepped up and threw a black cloth bag over his head.

Louis must have blacked out because next thing he knew, the bag was yanked off his head, and he was staring face to face with Princess Gemma Styles. His jaw dropped and he frantically looked around the room he’d been taken to, and found two other people; Lord Ashton Irwin and… the purple-skinned, perfect-haired man from the bar.

Louis glared at him. “That maybe has just turned into a definite _never_.”

Purple man shrugged, as Gemma stood up from where she was sitting across the room, and sat closer to Louis. They appeared to be in some sort of sitting room in a very dark house, but it didn’t look grand enough to be in the castle. Louis wasn’t tied up or anything, so he was starting to doubt that he was under arrest, but what did they want? “I’m very sorry for all of the trouble, but, um, we really need your help.”

Louis got the sudden urge to bow or curtsy or whatever, because it just occurred to him that this was the _Crown Princess of Xandar_ in front of him. “Y-you’re Majesty, what do—where are we?”

The princess glanced around the darkened room and at the covered windows. “It’s a safe house that belongs to my family. The list of people who know about this place is very, _very_ short. That’s why we had to do the whole… knocking you out and covering your face to get you here.”

“Right, right.” Louis shook his head, gathering up his thoughts for a second. His back still stung a bit. “W-what could you possibly need _me_ for?”

“Maybe you saw it on the news today that… well my brother has been kidnapped, and we don’t know where he is.” Gemma explained, looking more worried than Louis has ever seen someone before.

He cleared his throat with a small nod. “I-I did see that. I’m very sorry, but didn’t your parents already hire someone for that?”

“Yes, but everyone on Xandar has seen their faces, who knows what other spies there are.” Gemma said. Ashton walked up behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You were on the list of considerations and if the duo hadn’t accepted, we would have gone to you anyway.”

“Seriously?”

She and Ashton shared a slightly confused look. “Y-you are Louis Tomlinson, are you not? Son of Yondu Udonta?”

“I am,” Louis laughed nervously. “Sometimes I forget we have a reputation.”

“A good one.” Gemma insisted. “This is why Ashton and I would like to hire you, _secretly_ , to find my brother and bring him home.”

“Mr. Tomlinson—”

“Don’t.” Louis cut in, eyes widening when he realized he’d interrupted a Lord, and the future King of this planet. “Oh, I-I’m so sorry, just… it’s not ever Mr. Tomlinson. Just Louis.”

“Okay, Louis,” Ashton continued. “We’re willing to pay you four billion units for this. _If_ you succeed.”

“ _Holy_ —four billion?” Louis gawked, shaking his head in disbelief. “ _Well_ , h-how can I say no to that?”

“So you accept?” Gemma asked desperately.

“Um, what are the terms?” Louis asked, squirming a bit in his seat. He was always taught to ask for terms before accepting a job, that way he wasn’t tricked into anything he wasn’t comfortable with.

“This must be top secret. We don’t know who all of our enemies are, and we don’t want word spreading that you’re working for us. It could put you and Harry in danger.” Ashton explained.

Louis snorted. “Niall and Zayn’s faces were plastered all over the news, like you said.”

“My parents are too trusting of our people.” Gemma said with a frustrated groan. “They couldn’t even see that there was something wrong with Grim and his parents when we met. Harry could tell something was off, so did we, but he didn’t complain… and now he’s gone.”

 Ashton leaned down and kissed Gemma’s cheek to comfort her. “It’s going to be okay, Love. The other term, Louis, is that keeping the Prince alive is your number one priority, so you must be willing to put his life ahead of yours.”

Louis tried not to scoff at that. It didn’t matter how hot this prince was, Louis was going to take care of himself. Still, four billion units is a lot of money. However, they could hardly expect him to take this task on by himself. Louis knew exactly what he needed. “Those sound like agreeable terms. But… this is a lot to ask of one person, is there any way I could work with a partner. Someone very trustworthy, I promise.”

“Y-your father?” Gemma asked.

Louis bit his lip. “Um, no actually. Yondu is retired and has a new life now, but I know someone else. He could also really use the money.”

“W-we can’t offer more money.” Ashton said.

“That’s really okay,” Louis told him. “I can go half and half with him on the four billion, if you allow it.”

“Who is this partner? How do we know we can trust him?” Purple man, who was probably the future Queen and King’s body guard, asked him sternly.

“You can trust him because I trust him, and you obviously trust me.” Louis stated.

Ashton rolled his eyes a bit. “Wouldn’t call it trust, mate. We just hope we can pay more than our enemies. But if you do betray us, we’ll have you executed.”

Not that Louis would consider betraying them in the first place, but that statement really did make him remove the thought entirely. The partner he had in mind for such a big job really was a good man, though. Louis has known him for years, since before Yondu retired even, and his closest things Louis can call a best friend. Plus, he was from a planet that was sort of known for being a bit…literal and overall… _good_? Louis didn’t know how to explain it, but people where his friend was from had a heightened sense of morality. Not just super polite like the ones here on Xandar.

“I promise he will never betray me or you.” Louis said. “He’s from Tarth. They don’t tend to get into a lot of trouble.”

“What use will he be, if I may ask?” Gemma said.

“He’s one of the Peace Keepers on Tarth. They are trained in combat for both ground and space assaults.” Louis explained. “Plus, he’s very intelligent and knows everything about the four quadrants. The best chance I’ve got of finding Prince Harry is through him.”

“What is his name though?” Purple body guard asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

“His name is Liam. Liam Payne, and to my knowledge, he has no criminal record.”

Princess Gemma nodded her head in consideration, and then looked up at Ashton. “I think it’s a good idea. We’ll need all the help we can get to find Harry.”

Ashton sighed, silently agreeing with her. “He can join you then, but _just_ him. He will be on the same penalties as you should he betray us.”

“I understand.” Louis said. He thought over their terms one more time, then held out his hand for one of them to shake. “I accept your terms then.”

Princess Gemma looked as though she could cry, and Ashton’s entire body seemed to relax. They both shook his hand and the purple guard pulled out a miniscreen with a contract. Louis signed it easily, and they transported several files from the SFI to his own miniscreen. However when he stood up to leave, the guard stopped him with a smirk. He was holding the black bag up again, and Louis could see the stun gun in one of his holsters.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Louis groaned.

“Afraid not Mr. Tomlinson.” Purple guard said, still smirking at Louis.

“It’s just Lou—” The rest of his sentence was muffled out by the bag being thrown over his head. At least they didn’t try to electrocute him this time.

+

The following day’s journey to Tarth was fairly fast, because Tarth was on the same end of the first quadrant as Xandar. Tarth’s solar system was hundreds of light years away, but with Louis’ newly upgraded hyper drive, he got there in just over an hour.

Liam and Louis met when they were both fifteen years old, and Louis was still travelling with Yondu. They’d stopped on Tarth to resupply the ship and Louis wandered off in the strange place. Tarth was incredibly close to its solar system’s sun, but their atmospheric layer was thick enough to protect them from harmful rays. Still, because of the closeness, people on Tarth worshipped the Sun, and their architecture and style reflected that. The people all had very, very light violet colored skin, and they had pointed ears like elves. When Louis ran into Liam upon their meeting, he thought he might have actually been an elf. Liam didn’t even know what an elf was.

He was married now, to a girl named Sophia, and they had a daughter named Ava. It was so strange to Louis that someone would get married and settled down so young, but that was how they did things on Tarth. Still, Liam was madly in love with his family, and Louis knew asking Liam to go on this bounty would be a long shot, but Louis needed him. He’d never complete it on his own.

Louis knocked on the door of Liam’s home, a solar powered cottage built into a hundred foot tree. He didn’t have to wait very long before the door was cracked open a couple inches, and Louis looked down at the chubby cheeks, violet skin, brown hair, and brown eyes of Ava Payne. The three year old blinked up at him a few times, not recognizing him.

“Hi Ava, remember me?” Louis asked, kneeling down to her level. “I’m Louis, your daddy’s friend.”

She looked confused for another second, but then seemed to remember him. “Louis! Space man Louis!” She opened the door all the way and gave him a very warm hug.

“Ava, who is at the door?” Sophia’s voice called from the next room.

Louis picked Ava up and stepped into the house, knowing he was always welcome. “Just your friendly, intergalactic trouble maker.”

Sophia came out of the other room with a bright smile on her face. “Why, Louis Tomlinson! What an excellent surprise.”

“Sophia, you look beautiful as ever.” Louis said with a crinkly smile, kissing her cheek when she got close enough. “And Ava! You’re so big now.”

“They do grow up quite fast.” Sophia said, taking Ava out of Louis’ arms. “Liam is out in the yard for afternoon siesta, if you would like to join us.”

“Love to, it’s  okay that I’m just showing up?” Louis asked. “I probably should’ve messaged first.”

“You are always welcome in our home, Louis.” Sophia said, leading them through the cottage to their yard. It was bright everywhere, yellow, gold, and orange accents through their house. Everything was how Louis remembered from his last visit months ago.

As they stepped outside, a breeze flew by, along with the scents of wildflowers, and it made Louis wonder why Tarth wasn’t classified as a Paradise Planet. Probably because of some big political issue that Louis would never understand. He didn’t exactly operate under one specific group of laws, just the ones of the home planet of whoever his current client was. Yondu always told him he should live by the laws of his home, Earth, but Louis never felt like Earth was home.

He saw Liam relaxing on a woven swing with a glass of lemon water in his hand. He looked pleasantly surprised when he saw Louis, and stood up to greet him. “My, Louis Tomlinson, god to see you old friend.”

“Not that old.” Louis joked sarcastically, even though Liam could be a bit slow with sarcasm.

“No, no, but of course not really _old_.” Liam laughed. It was always entertaining to Louis when Liam didn’t get his jokes. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I was hoping to talk to you alone, actually. Sorry ladies.” Louis apologized to Sophia and Ava, but they seemed alright as they went back inside the cottage.

When he looked back at Liam, the man wore a very concerned frown. “What is it? Are you in trouble?”

“No, no _I’m_ not in trouble.” Louis sighed, sitting on the swing next to Liam. “It’s about a job.”

“No.”

“I-I haven’t even said what the job was yet!” Louis whined.

“It does not matter. I cannot help you with your business again, that is all behind me.” Liam said sternly.

Louis slumped back against the swing. “C’mon Li, it’s been years since I came to you for help! You’re my friend, and I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this one.”

“Ask your father, then.”

“Yondu is getting old, Liam. He’s got a good life on Tattooine and no job in the world will make me drag him out of it.” Louis snapped. He was getting tired of people asking him to risk Yondu’s life.

“I did not mean to offend.” Liam said softly. He groaned quietly and reached onto the table next to him to pour Louis a glass of the water. “Louis, back when I used to travel with you, I was neither married, nor a father. I have a family to think about now.”

“Right, right. Of course…” Louis nodded, but he had a feeling what he said next would convince Liam. “…I mean, what would you do with two billion units anyway?”

Liam started choking on his drink, coughing for breath, and eyes almost bulging out. “Two b-billion units?”

“That’s right,” Louis said, outwardly nonchalant, but inside he knew Liam was caving. “I mean, personally, if I were _you_ , I’d buy the property next door and combine the two cottages into the ultimate treehouse. But, you do whatever you think you need to.”

Liam blinked at him a few times in disbelief. He couldn’t even comprehend that much money, nor what kind of job Louis was going on to earn it. He scratched behind one of his pointed ears, “I will not accept until I know what the bounty is. Who are we arresting?”

Louis clicked his tongue nervously, “Right, not arresting anyone, and I’m not supposed to tell anyone, unless they are working with me, but…well, it’s you. Um… I’ve been secretly hired by Princess Gemma Styles of Xandar to rescue her brother.”

“A _prince_ has been captured?” Liam asked.

“You Tarthinians really keep to yourselves.” Louis chuckled. “Coruscant sent a spy in and they got him. Nobody really knows where he is though, so that’ll make the job a bit difficult, but you know _everything_ about this galaxy.”

“You’re going to rescue a prince?” Liam asked. It was just od to him because Louis usually stuck to apprehending criminals and heirlooms.

“For four billion units? Liam. I’d rescue a prince while buck naked for that.” Louis said, only half joking. “But, if you agree to help, then it will be two billion each, and I’ll keep my clothes on.”

Liam rolled his eyes. Still, that was such a good offer, and he could do so much for his family with that money. “This will be dangerous, will it not?”

“Probably, it’s sort of putting two planets on the brink of war…” Louis shrugged.

Liam looked over at his house, and he could see Sophia and Ava through the window. It might kill him to leave, but if he and Louis succeeded, well it would make them so happy. “Y-you must promise me that shall do our best to keep out of trouble with this. You will not go looking for any fights, unless it is to help the Prince.”

“I promise Liam, I do.”

“Then I agree to help you on this quest.”

Louis gasped and pulled Liam into a tight hug. “Thank you Li! Thank you so much.”

“Do not think I am not aware of your manipulations over my feelings for my family.” Liam said, tugging Louis’ arms off him. “I must discuss this with my wife, Louis. You understand.”

“She can’t know what we’re doing Li. I’m in a contract with the Princess.” Louis sighed, taking the miniscreen out of his pocket and showing his copy of the contract to Liam.

“Then at least give me a destination, so she may have some idea of where I will be.” Liam said. Then, by the look on Louis’ face, he realized Louis didn’t have any idea where the Prince was taken. “Oh no. Louis you must learn to be more prepared.” Liam, groaned, placing his glass on the table. “Tell me everything you know.”

“Harry was taken by his SFI righter, Grim, and they were off the radar within minutes. The last SFI officers to see them said they were headed in the opposite direction of Coruscant. And authorities found out a message was sent somewhere to the Outer quadrant by Grim’s parents, but no exact location. That’s all I’ve got.”

“It makes the most sense for him to be in the Outer quadrant, as that ace is devoid of any sort of authority. Only the Paradise Planets are safe to go to, but even those are pretty close to the third quadrant. Nobody out there has allegiance to Xandar.” Liam started, darting through the information quickly, just how Louis thought he would. “Coruscant… they probably have ties out there if they are looking for a war.”

“Okay, sounds good. Where should we start, though?” Louis asked. “There are hundreds of solar systems in the Outer quadrant.”

“Tarth has a base on M-113, a supply planet. We can head out there and see if anyone has heard about the Prince.” Liam said. Louis agreed, so he pulled up the coordinates for M-113, while Liam went to talk to Sophia.

There was an unintelligible back and forth from them, and Louis watched through the window as Sophia seemed to give up the fight. She and Liam kissed, so sweetly that Louis had to look away, like he was invading them. He knew taking Liam away from them would be hard on everyone, but the prize would be so worth it. Louis made a promise to himself to not let anything happen to Liam, which meant he was protector of two lives now. But how hard could it be to keep a Prince alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions about the story for me, you can ask them at [my tumblr](http://the-cheshire-pussy-cat.tumblr.com/ask). I'll try to answer as best I can, as long as it doesn't give away any spoilers.
> 
> And don't forget to leave comments and kudos :)


	3. Blast Off to a New Dimension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more character introductions in this...  
> im going to make a character and settings list to be a guide while you read if you get lost... that should be out before the next chapter.  
> chapter 3 will be out 11/22/14
> 
> Chapter title from [Venus by Lady Gaga](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP3ctBs3510)

The outer quadrant, or 4th quadrant in technical terms, is the only quadrant without a uniformed sort of government or trade system. It has less solar systems and more space between them than the others. Criminals and anarchists prefer it out there, because there is less regulation, and you will most likely never be caught on the run. The Paradise Planets are also located on the inner border of the quadrant, because they are privately owned and do not want to fall under any public dominion. They are the safest places in the outer quadrant.

The planet Louis and Liam were currently headed to was M-113, a neutral planet that held no allegiance to any one province, and therefore welcomed all kinds of people. At least, they _were_ going to stop there, until--

"Shit, shit, shit! Mother fucking--" Louis frustratingly banged his hands on the clear part of his navigation console. "Fuck! Got to be kidding me!"

Liam, who had been on the lower deck, ran up the ladder when he heard Louis shout. "What is it? What is wrong?"

"Goddamn hyper drive's gone out!" Louis swore again as he watched the little arrow on the  meter jiggle and drop to zero. They hovered in space at human speed and Louis was ready to hit something. "I just got this damn thing upgraded! There's no way this could be happening."

"Just hold on, calm down a bit." Liam said as he climbed off the ladder and walked over to Louis. He looked over their coordinates on the map screen a few times. "There is a between satellite about 20 clicks away, can we make  it there?"

"Fuel and power aren't issues, the core went out for some reason." Louis sighed slumping his head into his hands. "We can make it to the satellite though."

"Splendid, we will stop off there and fix the core and be on our way." Liam said calmly. He always seemed calm and Louis wished he had that ability. Liam reset the coordinates to the satellite and within a few hours they could see it.

The satellite was about the size of a small city back in England, and was commissioned by corporations many years ago. Companies agreed it would be better, business wise, to have privately run stations for travelers to stop at and buy their products. The ones in the outer quadrant were particularly popular. All kinds of outlaws would stop there because the authorities couldn't arrest them.

"We can't stay there long, though, never know who we might run into." Louis said, thinking about the fact that there will probably be the friends of people he helped send to jail.

Liam chuckled. "Worried you shall meet one of your criminal ex-boyfriends?"

"Oh _god_." Louis groaned. "That happened _one_ time Liam. I've only dated _one_ criminal, and I didn't know about his double life, _and_ I brought him right in when I found out." Honestly, you date a criminal on accident one time, and suddenly your type is the 'bad boys'. Yondu raised Louis better than that.

"Yes, yes, but one can never be too sure about these things." Liam said cautiously. "I shall watch you closely while we are there, so you cannot fall for another one."

Sometimes it's hard to tell if Liam is joking or not, because he often isn't, but he says things like this that make Louis want to laugh. "I-I didn't _fall_ for him Liam. I didn't love him, and I don't plan on falling in love with anyone on this job. Really Li, you can be such a parent sometimes."

"Well I do have a daughter." Liam said slowly, looking both confused and a bit offended at the same time.

"That's not what I--Oh never mind." Louis rolled his eyes and still couldn't help but smile. It was going to be a very long mission if Louis let Liam's quirks bother him this early. "Just pull over to Port 5, it looks pretty empty."

Liam did as he was told and landed the Donny at Port 5, where it was pulled into the satellite. A short, turtle-like alien stepped up once Liam and Louis were out to greet them. Louis paid the entrance fee to him and locked his ship in a single ship garage. As they entered the main section of the satellite, Louis threw his hood up so it covered most of his face, and Liam did the same. It seemed to be the best way to remain discreet.

"Where will we find someone to fix the core?" Liam asked checking out the various stations provided.

"There's a directory around here somewhere," Louis mumbled. He wanted to keep his voice low as well, in case someone recognized it. They walked up the main hub a few feet until Louis stopped at a map and touch screen directory.

There were a line of mechanics and suppliers in the section next to them, so Louis led the way. He didn't recognize any of the people and creatures there so far, which was a good thing for them. There was no telling what would happen if Louis was seen. He'd only brought a couple knives with him out of the ship, and he was pretty sure Liam didn't have any weapons on him. They wouldn't stand a chance if a fight were to break out.

The first mechanic had a large crowd inside, which either meant they were the most skilled or the cheapest. Either way Louis wasn't interested in waiting in that mess. The second didn't have any lights on and appeared to be closed. There was one customer in the third, a large alien with rock like skin and Louis was pretty sure he once turned in a family member, so he walked straight past. The fourth looked to be their best option, as there were no other customers, but plenty of workers running around.

Louis stopped before they entered and pushed on Liam's chest when the man didn't stop walking. "Li hold on. Let me do all the talking when we're in there, okay? These guys can be tricky."

"Whatever you believe will make the transaction easier." Liam replied. They nodded to each other and Louis walked in first, Liam a few paces behind.

The man at the front desk looked up from his books with a friendly, but still sly, smile. "Evening gentlemen! What can I do for you tonight?"

Louis cleared a frog in his throat. "How good are you at warp cores? My hyper space is completely blocked out."

"How long's it been since your last upgrade?" He had this tone to his voice that made Louis think he was going to make his first over-sell. Outer quadrant merchants were known for tricking naive customers into buying more than they need.

"Just a couple of days, but just the warp core has issues." Louis said sternly. As if this man would be able to trick him. "Nothing else on my ship has failed me yet."

"You sure? Those inner quadrant mechanics are always fuckin' up the upgrades." He said, clearly picking up that Louis wouldn't be an easy sell. "Won't know anything's wrong 'till your navigation's out, and the ship's hurdling into a burning meteor."

"We'll take our chances sir." Louis said through gritted teeth. Was it really that hard to just fix a warp core? Or at least replace it? "I'll pay 15% extra if you can get it all done by tomorrow morning."

The man's smile quirked up at that. He stroked his beard for a moment, almost considering raising the percentage. Then Louis causally swept back his red coat to show the row of sharp knives on his belt, and the mechanic's eyes widened. "I-I'll go confer with my head mechanic, wait here."

When the man was in the back, Liam turned Louis around by his shoulder. "What if this man is right? It would be devastating to crash into a burning meteor."

Louis chuckled. "Oh Liam. It's a selling tactic. He knows the rest of the upgrades are fine."

"If you say so Louis, but I do not wish to die on this quest."

"We're not going to die." Louis wasn't too sure of that. He wasn't sure about that on any job, but it was half the fun. "Once the core is fixed we'll be out of here and back on our search."

"I shall trust your judgment then." Just as Liam finished his thought, there was a commotion by the entrance, and then Louis heard a familiar voice.

"Aye Korath!"

The voice had the same accent of Irish people back on Earth, and Louis knew exactly who the owner was. " _Fuck_." He yanked Liam away from the counter behind a shelf of engine supplies.

"Louis, who is--"

"Shh!" Louis hushed Liam with a hand over his mouth.

He peered around the corner and sure enough there was the familiar green skin and blonde-brownish hair of Niall Horan. Next to him, fiddling with a box of charger missile ammo, was Zayn Malik, the tree-hybrid. Zayn was even more beautiful in person than any story Louis ever heard, or picture he saw. The rumor was he drifted through space in a pod as a baby and somehow was picked up by Niall, and they've been inseparable ever since. Nobody was quite sure what exactly Zayn was, but he had tree root-like arms, mossy brown hair, darkly tan skin, and the prettiest amber eyes. It is said that Niall once cut off the hand of a man that wanted to buy Zayn from him. He wasn't Niall's slave, but he certainly was devoted to the odd, green bounty hunter.

"Oi! Quit messing with that Zee." Niall snapped, poking Zayn in the side.

Zayn fervently shook his head with a frown. "I was not."

"Yes you were, I just saw you. Don't pretend like I didn't see you." Niall clapped his hands together and dragged Zayn to the front desk. "Korath! I need my stealth cords!"

Louis shoved Liam even further back until they were securely hidden towards the front of the shop. "It's Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. The bounty hunters the king and queen hired."

"Why are we in hiding then?" Liam asked with his usual puzzled expression. "Should we not ask for their assistance?"

"Li, their faces were put all over news on Xandar." Louis explained. "If we are seen with them, everyone will know about our job."

"They seem to be doing alright." Liam said, checking the duo out at the counter.

"We don't know who's following them. Coruscant probably got a tracker on them as soon as the story broke." Louis said, pulling his hood tighter over his face.

The front desk man, Korath, returned at Niall's calling, and he was slightly confused when he noticed Liam and Louis huddled in their corner. Niall, however, took his attention away. "Alright! Got the box right here if you calm down."

"We're on a time sensitive mission Korath. I needed those sticks, _hmm_ , yesterday!" Niall groaned, banging a hand on the counter. Louis watched as Zayn's arms grew out and wrapped twice around Niall's shoulders. It seemed to calm him.

"I could always replace the sticks for you. Won't cost much extra." Korath said as he handed the box to Niall.

"Ha!" The green skinned lad laughed obnoxiously. "I'm my own mechanic, thank you very much. Here's your units."

Niall threw a couple bills onto the table and nudged Zayn to get him to pick up the box. Louis realized too late that Niall would turn around see them, because before he knew it-- "Ni, he looks familiar."

"Who?" Niall asked as Zayn pointed right to Louis and Liam. "Well shit! Yondu Udonta's son!"

"Fuck." Louis grunted, clutching onto his hood. He tried to hide behind Liam, but the man wouldn't budge. "Li, let's go."

"This strange green fellow says he is a mechanic. And our goals are the same." Liam said stubbornly. "It would be wise to seek his help."

Before Louis could protest, Niall was already too close to them. "You are Louis Tomlinson aren't you?"

"I must really have a reputation." Louis said, voice stiff as he tried not to glare at Liam.

"I'll say, your old man is a legend." Niall said excitedly, shaking Louis' hand happily. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"On a job, the usual." Louis said, hoping Niall wouldn't press further as to what the job _is_.

"Yeah, so are we." He clapped Zayn on the back. "Pretty important job too."

"I heard. Saw the story on Xandar's news." Louis hoped his tone let them know he didn't approve of the exposure.

"You were on Xandar recently? Figure that." Niall said, and Louis realized the man hadn't stopped smiling since he'd walked up. "Was good ole Zayn's idea to leak the story." He said proudly, and the tree-hybrid pressed his lips together in a suppressed smile.

"That was on purpose?" Liam asked. "You wanted everyone to know of your quest?"

"Quest?" Niall laughed loudly at Liam. "Is he for real?"

"He's from Tarth, so yeah."

"Really?" Niall asked in disbelief. "A Tarthinian travelling with a bounty hunter, I never thought I'd see the day." He stuck out his hand and Liam graciously shook it. "I'm Niall Horan, and this gorgeous sapling is--"

"I am Zayn Malik." Zayn cut in, also shaking Liam's hand. His own hand looked like the roots of a tree, but were strangely smooth to the touch.

"Very good to meet you both. It must be fate that we are meeting, because--"

"Liam!" Louis grabbed Liam by the arm to quiet him, shaking his head. "Excuse us for a moment Gents." Louis pulled Liam a few feet away, ignoring the confused looks the other two men gave each other. "What have I been saying? We can't work with them."

"But Zayn had the story told on purpose, they must have a plan together." Liam insisted, much to Louis' annoyance.

It wasn't that Louis didn't trust them, he knew from the stories spread that they were good people, it was just that the exposure didn't sound like a good idea. How could having everyone know what you are doing be a good thing on a job like this? "It's easier with just the two of us."

"I do not see how." Liam stated, crossing his arms. "At least listen to what their plan is and then you can decide if we will work with them. It cannot hurt."

"Fine. Fine!" Louis groaned, rolling his eyes and walking back over.

"What was that about?" Niall asked.

"Zayn, why did you let them leak the story?" Louis asked, ignoring the green man's question. "One bounty hunter to another?"

Zayn looked to Niall for permission to reveal the plan, and he just nodded to him, not seeing the harm in it. "Our only lead is that Harry--err, Prince Harry--was taken to this quadrant. Now that everyone knows that Niall and I have been hired to retrieve him, we can work out where he is by who follows us or who avoids us. The ones who aren't involved won't care."

Louis' jaw dropped as he tried not to look too impressed. Damn, that wasn't a completely stupid plan after all. Better than his and Liam's plan anyway. He could practically _hear_ the satisfied smile on Liam's face. "Not bad, Zayn. You're making them come to you. How's it worked so far?"

"We had a guy in Coruscant garb following us, but we lost him a few ways back. It confirmed their involvement, but didn't tell us where Harry is."

"Have you been listening to air talk?" Liam asked. "Any rumors as to who might have him?"

"...Yeah..." Niall answered suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"We have been enlisted on the same quest." Liam told them.

Niall started laughing again. "You trying to trick us out of info and money then? That's low Louis. I expected more from someone of your caliber."

"Actually," Louis groaned. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but Liam and I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we worked together and, I guess, split the total bounty."

Niall snorted. "Really?"

"How much are the King and Queen paying you?" Louis asked.

"Two billion units." Niall smirked. "A billion each."

"Not bad." Louis cracked a grin. "Not bad at all, but Crown Princess Gemma and Sir Ashton Irwin are paying us four billion, two each."

Zayn whined and stared longingly at Niall, who just sputtered in disbelief. "Holy fuck. Four-- _four_? F-four billion..." He clutched at his chest. "I need--damn that's a lot."

"It is," Louis sounded so smug. "Li, do some math for me, how much  would it be if we pulled together?"

Liam took a second to look up and do a bit of mental math, then said, "Six billion all together, and split four ways you have... 2.25 billion each."

Niall sucked in a deep breath, while Zayn held him up by his shoulders. "You know... Not only would it be more productive with the four of us, but it will be more fun to. Don't you think Zee?"

"Yes, yes sounds much better." Zayn agreed enthusiastically. "Shall we shake on it?"

"Before we do, I want to make something clear." Louis said sternly. "Your plan about the exposure was good, but if at any time I think you two should lay low, you will do as I say. You have the better record, but I had the best in training."

Zayn and Niall agreed, albeit a little reluctantly, and the four of them shook hands. Louis still felt a bit funny about the whole thing, but he knew what the money meant to them. People in this line of business would never jeopardize that amount of money.

"So what are you two doing in here? New upgrades?" Niall asked after a minute.

Louis groaned. "Just got the upgrades finished a few days ago. My hyper drive stopped working and I need a fix on the warp core."

"Lucky you caught up with us then." Niall said. "This guy sells the best parts for the cheapest amount of money, but he's shit at actual repairs. Take me to your ship and I'll have it fixed up in no time."

"Shit, thanks mate."

Niall shrugged. "No problem, what port are you guys in? Zayn can fly our ship closer to yah."

"Great, we're in port 5. Liam, go with Zayn so you can show him the way." Louis suggested.

"Of course," Liam replied, leading Zayn out of the shop.

As Louis and Niall headed out in the opposite direction, Louis explained what was wrong with the ship. Nobody seemed to be following them, or even paying Niall any attention. Maybe Zayn's odd plan would work after all.

+

For two long days, Harry was bound and gagged and thrown into the cargo hold of a ship. Grim had knocked him out during their patrol and switched ships when they were out of range of the rest of their SFI group. Harry woke up when Grim had already tied him up, but there was no escape. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He couldn't believe he didn't see it coming when he first met Grim.

The ship they were on now was definitely of Coruscant make, and Harry could hear Grim speaking the language with his co-pilot. He really wished he'd learned to speak the native language, then maybe Harry would have some idea of where they were going.

This was completely embarrassing. The Prince of Xandar can't even go on a routine patrol without getting captured. If he ever did get home, nobody would take him seriously. He'd just be another token Prince for his family to prance around other dignitaries, instead of a hero. He only wanted to do good for his people. Nwo he was just more trouble.

It wasn't the time to feel sorry for himself, though. No, now was the time to escape, somehow, and get back home. He needed to switch places with Grim, make him the one who was tied up, then get back to Xandar so they could arrest him. It wasn't an easy job, and Harry was alone in it, but success would show that he could take care of himself.

Harry started wiggling around in his bindings, not the first time he'd tried it, and they wouldn't loosen. He opened and closed his mouth, moving his jaw around and pushing at the gag with his tongue, but it was too tight. Harry's movements grew frantic and he knocked a few things over in his rush to escape. The talking upstairs stopped and there were footsteps, but Harry kept going. He knew it wouldn't work, but a part of him didn't let him give up.

"Still trying to get out Princess?" Grim's voice spat as he jumped down the ladder. Grim clicked his tongue a few times at the mess Harry's kicking feet made. "Quit your struggling or you'll damage all my shit."

"Smmhmm smm fmmhmm!" It was supposed to be a very intimidating _'Son of a bitch, let me fucking go_ ', but the gag was muffling Harry's voice.

Which only made Grim laugh. "Princess there is no way you are getting out of here. That pretty face of yours is making me millions."

_Traitorous dog_. Harry thought, glaring up at Grim. If his mouth wasn't covered, Harry would spit in Grim's face.

A few strands of his hair had fallen out of his bun, and Grim pushed them back. Harry wanted to bite his disgusting fingers off. "There, there, we've almost made it to your new home! Promise it will be better than any Coruscant Prison."

For god measure, Grim kicked Harry's ribs on his way back out. Harry winced in pain and for a moment he thought one of them may have cracked. His head still throbbed from where he'd been knocked out, but Harry stayed strong. He'd have to find a way out of this one way or another. Then Harry looked out of the tiny portal high up on the wall of the ship, and he could see that they were out of hyper space. He couldn't tell if they were connected with a gravitational pull yet, but wherever Grim planned on taking him, they were there.

After only minutes they had passed into an atmosphere, then Harry could feel the ship hover before lowering onto a landing pad. Harry thought he would soon know where he was, but that was proven wrong when Grim came back down and blind folded him. Of course.

As he was tugged out of the ship and dragged to another location, Harry used the only sense left available; smell. The air smelled like smog and sweat, like a construction site, but it gave Harry no clue as to what planet he could be on. He kept his jaw clenched as he let Grim and the other man lead him down a long, gravel street. They stopped eventually and Harry was forced onto his knees.

Now was when the fear stepped in. All this time Harry thought he was being taken away to be ransomed, and it only just occurred to him that they would want a war, so it only made sense to kill him. His heart started to race when he heard more people walk up, this could really be it for him. He took a deep breath and tried not to show any fear, until an airy, mesmerized voice said--

"Welcome to the home of my Master." A woman was greeting them. "The Great Taneleer Tivan will be pleased with this acquisition."

_Tivan? Oh shit_ , Harry internally groaned, because Taneleer Tivan was infamously known as The Collector. He only had allegiance to his own interests, and had a love for collecting people, plants, and all sorts of other things from around the galaxy. If Harry was being sold to him, there was hardly a chance of escape.

"We're pleased he agreed to take this idiot off our hands, and not for a bad price either." Grim's annoyingly smug voice said.

"Please follow me to my Master's menagerie." The woman said, and once again Harry was yanked to his feet.

The air quickly dropped in temperature and Harry knew they'd been taken inside a building, the menagerie. He really didn't like the sound of that. He especially didn't like the sound of the next voice he heard.

"Nicholas Grimshaw! What a fine day to be seeing you, and your prize as well!" Tivan's voice was deep and sounded like a presenter of a cheesy beauty competition. As he walked it sounded like he was wearing high-heeled boots, which made sense with his eccentric personality. "How about a better look at his pretty face? Hmm?"

"Not the gag, though, he'll bite." Grim said as Tivan untied Harry's blindfold.

As Harry got a good look at The Collector, he wasn't surprised. The man had tan skin and completely white hair,  as well as heavy eye makeup. He _was_ wearing high-heeled leather boots, a leather suit, and a white fur coat of some kind. Although he was smiling, the way he looked at Harry reduced the prince to an object. But everything was an object to Tivan.

"Very pretty indeed." Tivan said. "Such glowing green eyes, like particles around a Nebula. He will do very well in my collection."

"He will do after we have our money." Grim spat, tugging Harry backwards by his neck.

"Ah but of course." Tivan said dryly. He snapped his fingers and the woman from before stepped up. Harry could see that she had pink skin like him and her eyes almost twice as scared. "Carina. We owe these men 3 billion units I believe."

"Yes Master." Carina handed Grim a small leather pouch and bowed to him.

Grim shook it a few times, then tossed it to his partner, before kicking Harry square on his back. "All yours Tivan."

" _Pleasure_ doing business with you Grimshaw." Tivan said, then he gave an order to a couple of thugs to pick Harry up. "Carina, show them to Tank 432-C if you please. Our little Prince needs to become used to his new home."

With a swish of his coat, Tivan made his exit, and Harry was left with just the other three. Carina cupped her hands in front of her stomach and they began the walk to Harry's tank. Along the way they passed by tanks and cages full of creatures Harry's never even seen, let alone heard of. There was even a tank with a pink girl, who looked exactly like Carina, in chains. Her eyes never left the group as Harry was dragged by. They were only half way through before Carina stopped them, and pressed a code in a small box to lower Tank 432-C from the second level.

She opened the door and removed Harry's gag, finally letting him breathe properly. All he wanted was to speak to her and get through to her. "Carina, Carina please! I need to get out of here, you must know that. Look at me!"

"My Master does not like when his collection pieces are too loud. You would do best to keep quiet." Carina said cautiously, hoping Tivan couldn't already hear them.

"Keep quiet? Carina, look at us, we're both the same. You're from Xandar, I know it." Harry said desperately. "I'm your prince and I can protect you if you help me."

"I know who you are." Carina said quietly, eyes glaring to the floor. "But you cannot help."

"I can though," Harry groaned. "That girl in the tank w-with the chains. She looks just like you. He'll put you in there too, but if you help me we can escape, everything in here can."

The woman chewed on her lip nervously, shaking her head. "You can't. I can't, I'm sorry Prince Harry."

"No! Carina--" Harry was cut off when one of the thugs roughly turned him around and pushed him into the tank.

The ties were removed from his arms and hands, but there was no time for him to fight back. He pressed his hands to the clear wall of the tank, as he watched in terror while Carina raised the tank. Harry collapsed to his knees and screamed into his hands, suspended in this new prison.

+

In no time at all, Niall had successfully taken apart the entire warp core to find the problem. When Liam and Zayn returned, they stayed up in the cockpit do Zayn could inspect the connections to the warp core up there. Louis was a little more than nervous, because he'd never seen the warp core in so many pieces. But Niall was working quickly, and didn't seem a bit frustrated.

"Aha!" Niall exclaimed as he sat straight up with a piece of the core in his hand.

"What?" Louis sat closer to look at what Niall discovered.

"See this little pin here?" Niall asked, holding up a tiny piece of metal. "When they did the upgrades, they replaced the pin you already had with this one. This one is too short, so the connection between the engine and the warp core was out of whack."

"How do we fix this?" Louis asked.

Niall stared at the pin, then back at the core, before thinking of something. "I can probably make an extension with a couple screws if you have any spares."

"Oh yeah, just rummage about in those drawers." Louis said, waving his hand to the left. "There should be plenty lying around."

Niall yanked out the bottom three shelves and all sorts of tools fell out, along with a tattered book. He picked it up curiously to see what it was. "Huh, what's this?"

"Hmm? Oh," Louis said when he saw Niall had found his old astrology book. "Just something from when I was a kid."

"I've never heard of _The Milky Way and All It’s Wonder_ before. Is it from your home planet?" Niall asked. General knowledge about Louis was that Yondu rescued him while on a job many years ago and they'd been family ever since. Very, very few people knew the full details of the story.

"Yeah, it's about the solar system." Louis told him, folding his legs together on armchair he was perched on. "Careful with it though. That book's been through a lot."

"I can imagine." Niall said, voice trailing off but also full of awe.

It struck Louis that Niall probably heard a lot of stories about him and Yondu. The way Niall talked about them made it feel like he emulated them. Louis didn't know what to do with this information, flattering as it is, because he never saw Yondu as someone famous. Sure, almost everywhere they went somebody had an idea of who they were, but it was just them making a living. Louis was being raised in an unconventional, but fun, way and their fame was never stressed. Yondu just made it all so normal and he taught Louis to take care of himself. The idea of gaining some sort of fan from that was just strange.

Louis was about to ask, but Zayn and Liam came back down to the lower level before he could. "Everything alright up there?"

"Yes, once Ni fixes the core, your hyper drive will work just fine." Zayn told him as he sat down next to the green man. "Cool book."

"It's Louis'," Niall said, flipping through the pictures for Zayn to see. As they got to the end, a little slip of paper fell out, and Louis was on his feet in seconds. "What's this?"

"Shit," Louis slid over and grabbed the picture from the floor, wiping it carefully with his shirt.

"You should find a better place for that, Louis." Liam said, taking Louis' place on the armchair. "You would be devastated to lose it, I know."

Louis nodded his head and carefully put the picture in a small, but secure, inside pocket on his jacket. "I keep meaning to get a frame for it."

"What was it?" Zayn asked.

Louis shrugged. "Just an old picture. That and the book are the only things I have from Earth."

"Ever been back?" Niall asked, placing the book in Zayn's hands. He picked up a couple screws and started measuring them with the pin.

"Uh, no," Louis mumbled, swallowing a lump in his throat. Going back to Earth has only crossed his mind a few times over the years. He always decided on no.

"I try to go home every couple of months," Niall continued. "From a small atmospheric moon in the Xandar province. We're not _really_ a part of them, but I think there's some protection treaty or whatever."

"Niall's a bit of a celebrity there." Zayn said, patting Niall's hair. "They seem to throw a party whenever we come home."

Niall blushed, as least Louis was sure he was blushing, it was hard to tell with the green skin. He and Zayn looked so soft with each other, especially when Niall gently nudged Zayn's shoulder.

"What about you Zayn? Where are you from?" Liam asked.

Both men grew a bit tense at the question. You see, Zayn didn't actually know where he was from. For all they knew, he was created in some lab and set loose for some reason. They never met anyone in all their travels that was anything like Zayn. Niall liked that Zayn was so unique though. Ever since they met as kids he's been obsessed with Zayn's tree like features and all the extra abilities that came with them. Zayn was happy just having Niall.

"Don't know, don't really care either." Zayn finally answered, shrugging, as he tossed a couple tools to Niall. "Ever since I found Niall, I haven't really worried about it."

"So cheesy." Niall groaned. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work putting the core back together. Liam noticed a couple scars, like four dots in a straight line, in the middle of Niall's forearm.

"Curious looking scar you have there."

Niall glanced down at it and smirked. "Yeah, good times. Girl stabbed me with a fork! Funniest thing ever. Where was that Zee?"

"Fork girl? Second quadrant I think." Zayn said, laughing a bit at the memory. "But the best scar you have is the bite mark on your shoulder. He has the _worst_ taste in hook ups."

"I might know someone who's a bit worse." Liam said, nodding his head at Louis.

If Louis weren't too busy laughing at Niall, he would be offended by that comment. Although, it is completely true. "Who bit you?"

"Guy from Xandor or Xandar...one of the province planets." Niall said. "Love the men from Xandar, honestly, I only ever hook up with men from there, bet you can't guess why."

"Oh no, I get it." Louis assured him, still laughing a bit. "What's the average dick size of men on Xandar?"

"Eight inches or something, bless them, seriously." Niall sighed happily. "Glad I finally have someone who just _gets_ me."

"Louis does love his men." Liam cut in with a chuckle.

"Just my type then!" Niall exclaimed, and Louis laughed even harder. He forgot what it was like to let loose and just bond with new people. Niall was especially happy about Louis' sudden change in attitude. "Look at that! Got him to laugh, how sweet."

"What can I say? We both have similar taste." Louis winked.

Niall popped the core back into place and connected the last wire as he said, "We both have excellent taste. And those are just two of my scars. I've got some al over from knife fights, and a scorch mark on my side from a fire fight."

"He likes to put that nice body through a lot of work." Zayn said. "I'd have just as many but my skin heals quickly."

"I have a burn scar on my lower back." Louis said. Liam gave him an odd look, because Louis hardly ever openly shared that information. "I won't show you, but it's all along my lower back."

"How'd you get it?" Niall asked as he stood back up and dusted off his hands.

Louis shook his head. "Rather not say. I just thought I'd share my own scar."

"Respect mate," Niall nodded. He kicked closed the engine hold and shut the latch. "Well you're good to go. Shouldn't give you any more trouble."

"Perfect!" Louis clapped his hands and gave Niall a pat on the back.

"I also connected our ships' communications so we can talk directly while in space." Zayn said, standing up along with Niall. "We should all get some sleep if we want an early start tomorrow."

"Where were you two headed?"

"M-113, just to see if anyone is spreading rumors about where Prince Harry is." Liam told them.

"Alright, patch over the coordinates and we'll follow you in the morning." Niall said as he started the climb up the ladder. Zayn gave a half salute as a goodbye, and followed, leaving Louis and Liam alone together.

As the hatch was closed, Liam stepped in front of Louis to keep him from leaving. "You told them about the scar? You never talk about that scar, Louis, and the only reason I heard the story was because you were inebriated at the time."

Louis instinctively crossed his arms over his chest, and bit the inside of his cheek. "Got a bit caught up in the moment. It's not like I showed it to anyone, or said how I got it."

"You can, you know," Liam said slowly, not missing the way Louis' jaw clenched. "I do not think they will behave differently if you tell them how you got it."

"I just don't want people's pity, Li." Louis grumbled, pushing past Liam and to the ladder so he could go to his bunk. He could hear Liam sigh and he knew his friend meant well but... Louis was never okay with telling people about his childhood. He was never okay even thinking about it. Life was going on right now, moving forward just like the universe always expanded out, and dwelling on the past didn't do anything productive. Still, as Louis sat down in his small bunk and pressed the button to close the door, he tapped a finger over his pocket. The picture of Lottie and him made the faintest crinkling noise, and Louis let out a deep sigh.

He _really_ couldn't think about all of that right now. He needed to sleep and figure out a plan and focus on the job. Always focus on the job.


	4. Take Your Time, She's Only Burning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things really start picking up in this chapter! It's exciting and cute.  
> And I'm still working on the character and settings list! I'll have it done soon...
> 
> Chapter title from [Baby's On Fire by Brian Eno](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afd3P94lnWQ)

The newly formed group completed their journey to M-113 in less than a day, thanks to Niall's adjustments. Louis already knew this was a much better idea than going in against them. Niall was pretty great, actually, as was Zayn, and Louis regretted being so untrusting of them at the start. He needed to trust Liam's instinct more often, even though Louis was usually the one who knew better.

That would be a difficult thing for Louis to do, because he was taught to trust his own gut. He was taught to always question other people's instincts, especially when he was the one with more experience. But after all the time Louis has known Liam, the man has never steered him wrong. Their friendship was strong enough for Louis to know when Liam was being smart or naive.

Planet M-113 was a supply planet, which meant it was both rich in natural recourses, but also held storage areas for certain planets. Tarth kept heavy weaponry on M-113, because they hardly saw a need for it, but if a war were to break out, they wouldn't have to ask for help. Liam would be allowed able to spy on the other travelers. Supply planets were mostly neutral zones, so there was a good chance someone from Coruscant would be there.

The group split up 3 ways; Louis and Liam on their own, and Zayn with Niall. Each of them walked through different facilities, listening to any conversation they could pick up. So far, Louis didn't hear anything about Prince Harry and he was starting to think this wasn't the best idea. There were too many places Harry could be, and too many people to spy on to find him. Then Louis rounded a corner in the corridor of storage lockers he was walking through, and heard a name that caught his attention.

"Passed Grimmy not too long ago."

"Really? Thought he joined up the Xandar army?"

"Same here, but he'd said he'd been to Knowhere, didn't tell me why..."

Louis wracked his brain for a second, Grimmy... that was one of the aliases for Nicholas Grimshaw, Harry's fighter. Louis remembered reading that in his file, he was sure, but Knowhere... it sounded familiar, but Louis didn't know why. He tried to remember anything about Knowhere, but nothing came up.

He sent a quick message to the rest of the group. _I think I've got something._ _Meet back up at the Donny in an hour_.

Once he reached the Donny, only Liam was back and he said Niall and Zayn were coming back from a bar. Figures the boy with Irish qualities would start his search at a bar. Louis was hardly surprised. Within minutes Niall and Zayn were running back, panting once they stopped.

"We might have something too, but you say yours first." Niall said as Liam pushed them all into the Donny for privacy.

Louis closed the ship door, "I heard two people talking about a 'Grimmy', which is one of Grimshaw's names. They said he'd just been to a place called Knowhere, but I can't remember what that is."

Niall snapped his fingers, "Aha! Then Zayn and I are right!"

"We heard a couple people at the bar saying Taneleer Tivan just got a new piece for his collection." Zayn started.

"Tivan?" Louis asked. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Oh no," Liam scrunched his face up, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Taneleer Tivan is also known as the Collector, Louis. He'll put anything of value in his collection. That includes valuable people."

"And Knowhere is _his_ domain." Niall groaned, although he was still excited they'd figured it out. "It's this giant head, like bigger than this planet, that used to belong to an ancient species. The organic material is really valuable, and it's how Tivan and his family got their fortune. All sorts of criminals find work there harvesting the materials."

"Shit." Louis snapped. "So Harry was sold to him? Is that what we all think?"

"It is the best conclusion we can come up with." Liam said. "Given the facts."

"Then... then let's set a course for Knowhere." Louis said, before he stopped again. "Wait. Where is that?"

"It's on the very outer rim of the fourth quadrant." Zayn told him, pulling up the coordinates on his miniscreen.

"Great, great." Louis mumbled, copying the destination. "But... how do we get to Harry? I can hardly imagine he'll let us take him willy-nilly."

Niall clicked his tongue and shot Zayn a nervous glance. "Well..."

"No." Zayn spat at him. "No, Niall, never."

"But _Zayn_ , think of the Prince! Think of the _money_." Niall whined, tugging on Zayn's arm.

"No!" Zayn shouted, pushing Niall away. "I know what you're thinking and it isn't going to happen!"

"It's the best chance we've got, Zee."

"Not for me! What are you going to do when it doesn't work, and I'm stuck in a case like an animal for the rest of my life." Zayn scoffed. He quickly turned on his heels and slammed the door open, running out to their ship.

Niall sighed and looked back over a very confused Louis and Liam. Louis crossed his arms, brow furrowing as he watched Zayn leave. "What was that? And what was your plan?"

"Um..." Niall chewed on his lip, tugging nervously at his hair. "Well... about a year ago, Zayn and I brought out a criminal to Tivan. This guy got a life sentence and Tivan paid to keep him in his menagerie. When we got there he saw Zayn and he liked him. He _really_ liked him. He offered me a lot of money to buy him for the collection."

"He wanted you to sell your friend?" Liam gasped.

"Yes, but I love Zayn--he's my best friend. I'd never _really_ sell him." Niall stammered defensively.

"But... you want to use him as bait." Louis said slowly, watching Niall nod his head. "Do you think he'd ever agree to that?"

"Well, no, that's why he yelled and ran out." Niall mumbled. He let out an extended and dramatic sigh, before also heading for the door. "Look, just put the destination in the Nav. I'll talk to him and let you know."

"Okay." Louis said. He didn't know about forcing Zayn to risk himself like this. A part of Louis thought he could be the bait, as he was the only human and person from Earth that he knew of out here. Surely that would mean something to Tivan. He'd just remember that as Plan B.

Niall got to his ship as fast as he could. His was much smaller than the Donny, with only one floor as opposed to three, but it was pretty much his home.

Zayn was lying on his bunk, facing the wall, and Niall inched his way next to him. He placed a soft hand on Zayn's side, smoothing it up and down in calming lines. He hated hurting Zayn, and never wanted to use him, but this had to be the exception. The prize was too good for both of them.

They had been together for so long and al either of them wanted was to make a big enough bounty and retire. This was their best chance of doing that and Zayn was letting his fear get in the way. It hurt that he didn't trust Niall, his best friend, to protect him while they were in Tivan's hideout. After all this time, Niall would trust Zayn completely if the tables were turned.

"Zee, please think about this instead of just running off." Niall whispered.

Zayn extended one of his hands up to stop Niall, but he still held him tightly. "That place scares me Ni. Being stuck there and treated like an exotic, pretty toy _scares_ me. If something goes wrong--"

"Come on Twiggy, don't you have faith in me?" Niall said, knowing that pet name pinched Zayn's heart in the best way. "He won't get you, I promise. We'll go in, break out the guns, save the prince, and then get our money from the Royals. This is the kind of bounty someone retires on."

"I know." Zayn said, voice very small. "You better keep your promise."

"So you'll do it?" Niall asked, kissing the top of Zayn's head, when he nodded. "You rest up. I'll send a message to Liam and Louis, and I'll solo pilot for a bit."

"Okay." Zayn let go of Niall's hand and pulled his blanket over his body. Niall gave Zayn's side on last squeeze, then tapped out a message to Liam on his miniscreen.

_Zayn's in. See you on Knowhere._

+

The air pumping into the tank was cold and harsh, and Harry had to huddle his knees into chest to keep warm. He started staring at some sort of vine plant in the tank across from him, that was growing and moving at a slow pace. He'd never seen it before, but somehow he thought it looked sick. Everything that was stuck here looked sick.

He slid off one of black gloves and started tossing it up in the air. It was the only form of entertainment he had.

Tivan hadn't even decided to stay around for very long. He watched Harry for a little while, creepily keeping an eye on every move the prince made. He looked hungry for something, and it made Harry nervous. Like Tivan was waiting for something else that Harry could give him. But the prince didn't have anything else. He was locked on Knowhere all by himself, with little hope of being found again.

After a couple tosses, Harry dropped his glove and when he reached down to grab it, he noticed Carina sneaking some food to the other pink girl in the tank. He wondered how they got here, because they just had to be of Xandar descent. They looked so much like his people, even his family, just a lot more pale. Maybe they were stolen like him, or their mother was and this was where they were born. He wondered how many times Carina and the other girl tried to escape.

Thinking about them reminded Harry of his own sister, who most likely already knew about his abduction. She must be so worried right now. His whole family must be so scared for him. He couldn't imagine how disappointed his father is. Harry was so proud to join up, and it took so much convincing to his parents to even let him train, and now he was just proving that it wasn't a good choice.

Then again, Harry isn't even the Crown Prince so it's not like it matters if he comes home. He's always known Gemma was the more important sibling to the people of Xandar. His sister loved him, Harry knew that, but he also knew that she would move on and live without him.

_“I’m just very proud of my baby brother is all. You’re going to be somebody’s hero.”_

_“And you’re going to be Queen. I’m just a soldier.”_

How could Harry be the hero Gemma believed him to be if he was already lost in here? ow could she ever be proud of him again after this?

Harry angrily threw his gloves across the tank and stood up. He leaned an arm on the wall of the tank and continued to watch Carina and the other girl interact. "Carina!"

She barely heard him through the glass, but he could see her head twitch towards him a bit. Carina didn't look up though, and Harry started to bang on the glass. The girl looked around frantically to make sure Tivan wasn't anywhere in sight, before leaving her friend and running closer to Harry's tank. "Prince Harry please be quiet! I told you we can't--the collection pieces can't be loud! Do you want my master to become angry?"

Harry groaned. "Carina, he's not even here right now. You can let me go and I can help you escape. Do you really want to be stuck here forever?"

Her lip trembled, and she glanced back at her friend, who was shaking her own head, trying to tell Carina not to listen. "I-I like it here. My master is very good to me. He will be good to you, just w-wait and see Prince Harry."

"No, no Carina he isn't good to you. He isn't going to be good to me either. Look around you!" Harry said, waving his hand to all the other tanks. "Almost everything here is sick."

"I'm sorry, but you must be quiet now." Carina stated. She crossed her arms and walked up to the throne that Tivan usually sat in. "You will learn to like it here."

She pressed down on something on the arm of the chair and Harry suddenly felt a large sting all over his body. He screamed and slumped against the wall of the tank, twitching and shaking from the shock. " _Fuck_ , come on!"

But it was too late to try and convince Carina to let him go again. She quickly left Harry alone, and ran out to find Tivan. Harry didn't think she would tell Tivan anything he tried to say, because it would only get Carina in trouble for talking to him.

Harry rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, a tear falling down his cheek. He wiped it away with a frustrated sigh, and banged his fists down on the floor. If he could find a way out of this on his own, he would have escaped by now, but there was no way out without her help.

"I'm sorry I'm such a failure Gem. I'm sorry I won't be at the wedding." Harry whispered to himself. It didn't make him feel any better.

+

The story Niall gave about Knowhere wasn't at all an exaggeration. As Louis flew closer he could clearly see the shape of a decomposing head, with a big chunk missing out of the back. People actually lived here, and thrived here. People actually paid to get brain matter and other bodily material to use. It was gross, but fascinating. Louis couldn't imagine being forced to live here forever, though, and he saw why Zayn was so scared.

But Niall laid out a simple, multi-step plan, that eased everyone's minds. They were going to the market that Tivan's slave runs errands in, Niall would talk her into letting him "sell" Zayn to Tivan, then once inside the menagerie they would locate Harry and break him out. The last part wasn't very assuring, because they didn't know how hard it would be to find Prince Harry, let alone break him out. At  least Niall would get them in.

Once again Louis and Liam put their hoods up over their faces, but Niall and Zayn stayed uncovered. After a bit of struggling and arguing, Zayn and Niall cuff him, and the three dragged the sapling through the dirt paths. They passed  by a group of poor looking children, while Niall asked a merchant if he'd seen Carina.

Zayn kneeled down in front of the kids and opened up his hand, only for a small flower, white like a daisy, to grow from his palm. The children, and ever Louis, marveled at this utter magic, and Zayn gave the flower to a little girl. She smiled at him as both groups parted ways. Zayn was the kind of creature Louis only dreamed about when he was a kid.

"Alright, Carina's in the market by the wine station. I bet Tivan is celebrating his latest collection piece." Niall said, hurrying their group through the crowds.

Louis cringed at Prince Harry being called a 'collection piece', but he knew Niall didn't mean it. "What are you going to say to her?"

"Not much," Niall said, smirking. "She fancies me a bit so I'll just give her a--um, well, a taste, and she'll do whatever we want."

Zayn missed a step, so Louis grabbed his arm to keep him moving. He looked at Zayn and the man was slightly pale, but Louis didn't think it was from being used as bait this time. "Okay, we'll just wait over here."

"Yeah, yeah." Niall waved, spotting Carina at a counter. "Try not to look suspicious."

As the green bounty hunter sauntered over to Carina, Louis and Liam backed Zayn into a wall. He could still see Niall, though, and this wasn't a good thing. Louis could sense Zayn growing more tense and annoyed by the second. He looked over his shoulder and saw Niall whispering in Carina's ear while her pink skin blushed darker and she giggled. Zayn's eyes turned red, literally glowing red, and the rest of his face held a familiar expression to Louis. He'd seen it on the faces of men he hadn't chosen to spend the night with.

"Zayn, you alright?" Louis quietly asked.

"Fine." Zayn grunted, shaking his head and looking down at his feet.

"You're not fine though," Louis whispered, squeezing Zayn's arm. "You know we won't leave you with Tivan, right?"

"That's not why--yeah I know." Zayn stuttered, twitching his cuffed hands around. "I don't like this part of the plan that much."

"This part...?" Louis looked over again but Niall was gone. "Where did--"

"He and Carina slipped off down the alley." Liam said. He'd been silently patting Zayn's back, as if he knew something Louis hadn't caught onto.

Then it clicked. "Oh, you and Niall--"

"No we aren't--I'm just--I, uh..." Zayn shook his head, closing his eyes so Louis wouldn't ask.

But Louis got it. Zayn was jealous, and probably because he loved Niall. And this was a time when Louis wouldn't be able to help, because... well Louis' never felt that before. He'd never been in love, and he's hardly ever thought somebody loved him. He wanted to help Zayn, to make him feel better, but what do you say to this?

"Niall is only using her to save Harry, Zayn. Do not think about it." Liam said, because he was in love and he knew what to say. Louis was jealous of Liam for that. "We will be done soon and you and Niall shall earn your bounty."

"Yeah, yeah you're right." Zayn sighed, eyes returning to their normal amber color. "Thank you for saying that."

Liam nodded and Louis watched as Zayn closed his eyes to remain calm. He wondered if Niall even knew how Zayn felt about him, if maybe he held the same feelings. Would Niall still do this if he knew it upset Zayn? Even if it was all for the sake of finishing the job. Maybe Zayn wouldn't be this affected if he knew Niall loved him back, would always come back to him. Or maybe Niall would have thought of an entire different plan if he loved Zayn too.

All Zayn thought about was what Niall could be doing with her, and wishing Niall would just consider doing it with him. He spent so many years watching Niall move through person after person, but never even kiss Zayn. He was getting tired of it, but he'd never leave Niall. He didn't know anything past Niall, and somehow his mind figured he'd get stuck with someone like Tivan for real.

After a few minutes, Niall and Carina returned, walking through the crowd as Niall smirked and wiped his mouth. Carina looked dazed, but she held her composure while escorting the group to Tivan's menagerie. Louis and Liam gripped Zayn's arms tightly, taking the parts of hired muscle for Niall. It was enough for Carina to believe, because she didn't even question them.

"My master will be very pleased with this M--Niall." Carina said as she lead them through the streets. "He has been hoping to get his hands on something as unique as Mister Malik for quite some time. And he shall go splendidly with our last purchase."

Louis and Liam shared a look. She must have been talking about Prince Harry.

The menagerie was the most pleasant place they had seen yet. With its marble walls and gold finish, Louis thought it looked like a castle straight out of a fairytale. He knew what was inside, though, and he knew it would be the farthest thing from a fairytale. He knew what it was like to be locked up in a small space for a long time. It was torture, and Louis cringed to even think about it. He hated that this job brought up his past life so much.

Harry must have been so scared right now, though he probably wasn't showing it. Somehow Louis had a feeling this prince put on a brave face at all times, even when he was unsure of his fate. The children of great monarchs often did that. Louis has seen young teenagers sacrifice themselves to prove their worth to their parents on old jobs. Yondu always told Louis that it wasn't his job to be the brave one when things got risky. That Yondu was the one who should make sacrifices, because parents should protect their kids. It was the first time Yondu really called himself Louis' father.

Carina opened the gates and they followed her up the steps to the grand main doors. She made them wait outside for only a moment while she alerted Tivan of their arrival and business proposition. Once inside, the air felt cold and dark, like a prison. A very fancy, posh prison. And it was that, really, just disguised to be the height of luxury.

The creatures in the tanks looked depressed or dying, a few even banged on the glass as they walked by. They were begging to be let go, or killed to make the pain stop. Louis wanted to do that, he wanted to free them or end their suffering. it was hard to keep a straight disinterested face as they passed by, and he wondered how Liam was doing. Tarthinians were so peaceful and hated suffering, and it must have been killing Liam to see all of this. When Louis snuck a glance, however, his friend was looking right in front, at the back of Niall's head.

And now Louis further understood why Zayn was so scared, and he was selfishly thankful he hadn't offered himself up as bait. Carina was a few steps ahead of them, so Louis leaned over to Zayn and whispered, "I promise we won't let you be stuck here."

The muscles in Zayn's arm contracted where Louis was holding him, and the tree-hybrid nodded. Louis directed his attention to the ceiling and saw that there were more tanks and cages suspended on chains. There had to be hundreds of artifacts and people on display, and it made Louis' stomach churn.

They could see Tivan at the end of the cleared path, and he was sitting on what looked like a platinum, jewel encrusted throne. Louis thought it was tacky and gross, that this man would try to emulate some kind of king.

Then Louis looked at the tank raised above Tivan, and he couldn't believe it. He wasn't sure at first, because it was so hard to see, but the person inside the tank had pink skin, black clothes, and even a loose bun in his hair. He was folded up, with his legs tight at his chest, and his head between his arms, but Louis was so sure that this was Prince Harry Styles. He wished the prince would look up, and see that he was going to be rescued.

It was Tivan's voice that made Harry perk up. "Welcome Mr. Horan, welcome. I see you have finally considered my previous offer about our lovely Mr. Malik here."

"Yes, I've had enough adventures with him." Niall said, masking the strain it took to say these words. "I'm looking to retire and he'll just be dead weight on me when I settle down. Plus, the money I get for him will fund that retirement."

Tivan smirked and swiftly stood from his chair so he could get them properly, while Harry looked down at them. The second his eyes came in contact with Louis', their dullness seemed to fade into hope. Louis swallowed a lump as their stared at each other, Harry's palm made contact with the tank in a silent question; _Are you here to save me?_

For only a second Louis blinked at Harry, unable to think past how beautiful Harry was in person. Even stuck and scared and slightly beaten Harry was taking his breath away. Still, Louis nodded once so he could answer, _Yes._

Their attention was quickly turned back to Tivan, who had approached them to properly inspect Zayn. He was circling them and Niall motioned for Louis and Liam to step out of the way so Tivan could get a good look. Liam had been on the lookout for a way to open the tanks, and he found it on Tivan's throne. One of the arms had a control pad sitting attached to it, and Liam figured there must have been an emergency code of some sort to open everything. Carina would know what it is.

"Is he in good shape?" Tivan asked, grabbing Zayn's cheeks in one hand and moving his face around. Zayn tried not to glare... or bite.

"Yes sir, he has a faster healing ability than anyone I've come across. His injuries are cleared up in minutes." Niall said.

"Hmm..." Tivan hummed, then he suddenly kicked Zayn's feet out from under him, sending the sapling to his knees. "Looks good down there," Tivan mumbled, just loud enough for Niall to hear.  "Still a very pretty thing isn't he?"

"Yes." Niall choked out, but then to give a further impression he added. "I have seen better though."

Liam took the opportunity to step next to Louis. "I think I know how to open the tanks." He whispered.

"And I know where Prince Harry is." Louis whispered back, eyes flicking up above the throne.

"You are sure you wish to make this transaction?" Tivan asked, pushing Zayn's head down so it looked like he was bowing.

Niall's fists clenched open and close, jaw locked as he worked to keep it together. "Yes. If you're still willing to pay a billion for him."

Tivan nodded his head, and a silence fell over them. He stared down at Zayn some more, lips pursed, and played with his hair, while making it look like he was thinking. But Tivan already made his decision, and he let out a malicious laugh. "My, my, my Mr. Horan. Willing to sell your beloved sapling for only one billion units, when the rumor is that you are getting two billion for returning my latest prize to his home."

_Oh shit. Tivan knows about the bounty_ , Louis' mind raced. They'd stepped right into a trap. But Niall was ready. "Guess the jig is up then."

In a flash Niall and Liam had pulled out their guns and were ready to fire. Louis threw off his hood and crouched down to let Zayn out of the cuffs. By the time Zayn was free, Tivan already called his thugs in. They were surrounded by at least twenty men, which... well Louis' been in worse situations. Liam tossed an extra gun to Louis and they open fired.

The thugs were fast though, and Liam ended up taking two of them on hand to hand, while Zayn used his extra strength to fight at least three. His arms could grow and wrap around them, lifting and throwing them into each other. Many tried to shoot him or hit him, but every time he was hit, it healed in a second.

Tivan tried to run, but Louis chased him and tackled him into a table covered in strange artifacts. Louis didn't worry about what he'd knocked into as he and Tivan threw punches at each other. The Collector was stronger than he looked, as he got a good hit into Louis' jaw, causing him to spit out a bit of blood.

While the fighting continued, Harry banged on the glass to try to break out, even if he knew it wouldn't work. But then he saw one of the artifacts on the table the tan boy and Tivan knocked over start to blink. And in Harry's experience, blinking metal things only they could be one thing;  a bomb. Harry started shouting and swinging the tank, but it was no use. Everyone below was too distracted by the fight.

As Niall killed a thug with a shot right between his eyes, he saw Carina dart out from her hiding spot and try to make a run for it. He quickly grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her back. She screamed, but Niall covered her mouth, "How do we get the Prince out?"

"Niall!" Liam shouted as he choked out a larger thug, and shoved his body onto a smaller one. "The throne has a control pad on it!"

"Got it!" Niall said back, dragging Carina to it. He didn't care about asking if she knew it was a trap, she probably didn't, but he just cared about breaking everything out. "Alright Sweetheart. Open everything up."

Tivan had Louis pinned beneath him, but Louis had a good grip on the man's wrists. He used his lower body to throw Tivan off balance, and they rolled a few feet away from the table, and the beeping, blinking artifact they knew nothing about. Louis shouted in pain as he felt a knife slash across his side, and he turned around to kick it out of Tivan's hand. Then out of nowhere Louis heard a very faint beeping, like a bomb, but he didn't see Tivan detonate one, nor any of the other men fighting.

Harry watched on helplessly as the mint-green colored one forced Carina to enter a code into Tivan's pad. Just a second after the code entered, and just as Louis spotted it laying by the table with his own eyes, the bomb went off, sending almost all of the men fighting forward. The table blew out and hit several of Tivan's men, as Louis grabbed Tivan and used his body as a shield. His body did the job as Louis was protected from most of the blast, and Tivan seemed to be unconscious or dead as he was shoved aside. However, it didn't end there, as that explosion set off other bombs, and it ricocheted all around the menagerie.

The tanks and cages were open, including Harry's, so everything was trying to escape. Green boy let Carina run away, and she managed to grab the other pink girl just before an explosion went off by the cage.

Just as Harry was about to climb down, another massive explosion made his hands slip off the railing. He swore and fell nearly twenty feet, slamming one of legs against a broken pillar as he went, but the tan boy slid underneath to catch Harry before he hit the ground.

"Oops," Harry coughed as he looked up at Louis.

"Hi," Louis whispered, giving the prince the smallest of smiles. Harry reached a hand up and wiped away some of the blood that was still on Louis' lip, and it was such a tender touch that Louis was taken aback. But there were more crashes around them to ruin the moment. "Shit, come on Prince Charming, we've got to get out of here."

The smoke from the explosions started to fill Harry's lungs more, and his chest stung as he breathed. "Right--intro-introductions later." When Louis helped him stand up, Harry felt a shooting pain stemming right from his ankle. "Ah, _fuck_!"

At any other time Louis might have made a snarky comment about that not being nice language for a Prince, but there wasn't time. He steadied a hand on Harry's hard chest when he cried in pain after another step. "A-are you okay? Can you walk?"

Harry hissed. "My ankle--broken--I'm sorry."

" _God_ , don't apologize!" Louis wrapped an arm around Harry's waist to support his weight, and pulled Harry's arm around his shoulders. "Just do your best, okay? I've got you."

"Yeah, yeah just get us out of here." Harry wheezed as they both stumbled through the crumbling wreckage.

Nobody was fighting anymore as the menagerie fell to pieces around them. Liam caught up to Louis and Prince Harry, and lifted him from the other side so they could go faster.

Not far behind, Niall was finishing off another of Tivan's men, kicking him to the ground. He jumped around the debris and dove out of the way of anything that fell. Zayn came out of nowhere to grab him and make him just leave with them. "Twiggy! You can put me down, I'm running with yah!"

"Fat chance of that Ni," Zayn said as they caught up with the other three.

They barely ran out of the menagerie as the rest of it collapsed in a final explosion. The people on the streets of Knowhere were in a massive panic. Through all of the screaming and crazed people, Harry's head started to hurt and he was fading. Louis pushed stray hairs from Harry's loose bun out of his face and turned it to look at him.

"Your Majesty. we are going to get you out of here, but you have to stay with me." Louis said quickly. "Stay with me a little longer, and then you can rest on my ship."

Harry nodded, barely, and took a very deep breath. "I-I'm fine. Let's just go quickly."

"Okay, Liam and I have you." Louis said. He squeezed Harry's side and they set off again, this time with Niall and Zayn ahead of them. Louis really regretted hiding their ships so far away from the menagerie, because he didn't know how much longer he could hold the prince.

Harry was much taller than Louis anticipated, but he hardly had time to dwell on that now. As much as Louis wanted to properly check Harry out, he'd rather do it when they were miles away from this place. However, as soon as they rounded the corner where their two ships were hidden, they found Niall's being broken into and taken apart by thieves.

"Sons of bitches!" Niall shouted as Zayn grabbed two of them and Niall shot the third one. He tried to open the door, but the control was jammed. "Fuck it! I can't get it!"

"Just leave it Niall!" Louis shouted as Liam ran ahead and lowered the doors to the Donny. "Get on mine, there's more than enough space for all of us!"

"Dammit!" Niall shouted as Zayn yanked him away and forced him into Louis' ship.

Louis and Harry limped their way onto the ship, and collapsed onto the floor as soon as they were in. "Liam, Niall! Start the ship up and get us out of here!"

The two of them ran to the top deck and into the cockpit. They set the Donny into a hover, before Niall started warming up the hyper drive. "Where should we go?"

"Out to space, we can hover for a little while to assess Harry's situation." Liam said.

"Right, good idea." Niall agreed as he turned the pressure up on the hyper drive, then accelerated. The ship flew off at the speed of light, escaping Knowhere and the panic they left it in. "You know, word of what happened here will travel quickly."

"Yes, but nobody knew Harry was there, so hopefully they will not figure out how it happened." Liam said as he eased up on their flight. They had made it out about one hundred miles from Knowhere, and nobody that they could see followed. Then again, there wasn't exactly any authority there to arrest them anyway. "Tivan must be dead by now anyway. He will not be able to reveal our quest, should someone from Coruscant come looking."

"Quest. You really do say the weirdest shit my newfound friend." Niall laughed, diffusing the tense air around them.

Down on the lower deck, Louis and Zayn carried the Prince into one of the spare bunks. There are four total in the entire ship; Louis' on the top level, two on the second, and the fourth on the lower deck by the engine and fuel docks.

Harry was bleeding from his head and Louis was sure Harry must have hit his head when he fell. He wiped off the rest of the blood from his mouth and set Harry down on the bed, but as Louis went to leave, Harry weakly grabbed his hand. "Where--"

"Shh, Prince Charming," Louis mumbled, setting Harry's hand down. "Rest, Zayn here will take care of you." He walked out and shut the door, but Harry continued to watch even as Zayn shut the curtain. Louis climbed to the top deck and joined Niall and Liam in the cockpit.

"How's the prince?" Niall asked.

"No idea." Louis said, slumping into a spare seat behind them. "But at least we saved him."

+

On the lower deck of the Donny, Zayn was doing his best to nurse Harry's wounds, but even though he's done this hundreds of times for Niall, doesn't mean he's an expert. Harry's left ankle was completely broken, and he had a huge gash in his head from where he fell. It was some kind of miracle that he survived at all. He'd passed out from the pain only minutes after Louis left them alone, but he still stirred and hissed when Zayn moved him.

"Poor kid," Zayn sighed, pulling the blanket over Harry when there was nothing left to do. He left him to sleep in the bunk and joined the others on the top deck.

As soon as Niall saw Zayn, he leapt up from the co-pilot's chair to embrace his friend. "I'm so sorry Zee."

"For what?" Zayn asked as he hugged back.

"For that stupid plan, for what Tivan said and did, for not leaving immediately." Niall said. _For fucking Carina_ , was an afterthought. "All of it."

"It's fine Nialler. I mean, it all worked out didn't it?"

The green boy nodded, still looking ashamed as he let go of Zayn. "Yeah, yeah I guess."

"How is Prince Harry's health, Zayn?" Liam asked from his spot in the pilot's chair.

Zayn shrugged. "Broken ankle, bleeding head, and now he's passed out. Alive, though, so that's... something."

"Will he make it back to Xandar like this?" Louis asked, cleaning off his own small cuts on his hands.

"No! No, we need to get him professional help." Zayn said quickly, running to the navigation. "There has to be somewhere close by we can take him to."

"I am not sure about this." Liam said thoughtfully. "The hospitals in this quadrant can hardly be trustworthy with the life of a prince."

Then Louis remembered something he'd read weeks ago, in one of the pamphlets Broker gave him. "Hold on just a second, I think I know where we can go."

He left them all a little confused while he searched around in his bunk for the pamphlet. After a bit of shuffling through a couple drawers, Louis found the Paradise planet list and started re-reading the features. Each of the planets had multiple rehabilitation centers and hospitals, but according to the rating list, the best one was on Naboo.

"Louis? Do you want to tell us what you are thinking?" Liam, who had left the ship in hover and came out of the cockpit, asked.

Louis handed him the pamphlet with the rehab page open. "Naboo, they have the best hospital _and_ a discount on the stay for people of Noble Blood. We have enough altogether to afford a short stay anyway."

"But how do we know they will not tell everyone we have Prince Harry? You know he will not be safe until we return him to Xandar." Liam said cautiously.

"I'm sure of it Li," insisted, pushing past his friend and back to the cockpit. "The Paradise Planets are neutral and privately owned. If we tell them Harry has to be kept secret, then they'll keep him a secret."

"Wait," Niall swooped in, waving a hand around to get the attention. "We're going to a Paradise Planet?"

"If we want the prince to live, then yes." Louis told him as he hopped over to the Navigation. "Ever been to one?"

"No, never." Niall said, sharing a look of awe with Zayn. "We've wanted to go for a long time, though."

"Great!" Louis sat comfortably down in the pilot's chair and took the ship out of hover. "Off to Naboo then."

"So this is it?" Liam asked when he reemerged from the bunk. "Just go to Naboo and hope for the best?"

"Li, that's about half of all my plans in these situations." Louis said. It was true, he had to be the luckiest person in the galaxy considering all of the danger he's made it out of. Louis learned quickly that the key to success in his chosen field was not only good planning, but just as much good luck. "Niall, you and Zayn can bunk on the lower deck, yeah?"

"No problem, come on Zee, we should sleep." Niall said as he started to go down the hatch.

Zayn smiled softly at Niall, but didn't follow. "I'll be with you soon, but I'm just going to stay with Harry, actually. I just want to keep an eye on his health."

"Oh, okay." Niall said quietly, hint of disappointment in his voice. He disappeared down the hatch and Zayn waited a few moments, before sighing and going down as well.

Louis watched their exchange curiously, as Liam sat down in the co-pilot seat. "That was weird."

"Zayn is in love with him Louis." Liam said bluntly.

The man huffed and shook his head. "I started thinking the same thing on Knowhere, but now I'm not sure. Did he say something to you?"

"He didn't have to Louis." Liam sighed, strapping himself in and taking hold of his controls. "I am happily married, I know love when I see it."

Louis pursed his lips. Just because Liam has the woman of his dreams doesn't mean he knows everything about love. Not all pairs of people are exactly the same, especially when it comes to love. "If he loves him, then why won't he spend the night with Niall after such a danger charged day? Don't you want to be with Sophia right now?"

"Of course I want to be with Sophia right now. I always want to be with her, and every second away pains me." Liam said with a groan. He knew Louis wasn't very knowledgeable on this subject, but you'd have to be blind to not see how Zayn felt. "Zayn and Niall seem to be a lot more complicated. There is history there that they have not decided to share with us. Just leave them be."

"Whatever you say big guy. "Louis mumbled, but his mind was stuck on something else Zayn said. He couldn't imagine loving someone so much that it hurt to be away from them. That just didn't seem healthy, depending on someone so much.

A few minutes of silence went by between them while Louis continued to think about Zayn, and love, and everything that he feared he'd never understand. Until Liam broke that silence with another question. "Besides this grand luck you claim to possess, what are the other parts of your plan for Naboo?"

"Well, we'll check Harry into the hospital, Niall and I can send messages to the royal family, and then we'll all relax on one of Naboo's luxurious beaches until Harry is fit to leave."

"Hopefully this time we shall have no need for weapons or fighting." Liam said.

"We're going to Paradise, Liam." Louis chuckled. "The ob's halfway done now, just have a little faith."

"I do, I have plenty of faith in you." Liam said. They patched in the final settings and sent the ship into hyperspace.


	5. Satellite (Satellite of Love)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new Star Wars trailer was released yesterday do you know how pumped I am??? Anyway this chapter is just full of so many nice things,and not so nice things... and then more nice things... hope you like it :)
> 
> Chapter title from [Satellite of Love by Lou Reed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH2EgYq_NCY)

Naboo might just be the most beautiful planet Louis had ever been to in his entire life. The pictures in the pamphlet only show a fraction of its beauty. Louis felt like he was in one of those commercials he used to see on TV on Earth, about vacations in the Caribbean or other tropics. Naboo was like a dream with its white, sparkly sandy beaches and crystal blue water.

However, Louis would have to admire it later, because right now he was busy checking Harry into the hospital. The native people of Naboo had faces of birds, including beaks, which was a little disturbing as Louis spoke to one of them.

"Please, we need a private section for him." Louis said, pointing to Harry, who was still passed out in Zayn's arms.

"Oh my." The bird woman gasped as she signaled a few nurses over. They laid the prince out on a stretcher and wheeled him out of the room. Zayn made sure to follow. "Was that--"

"Captured Prince of Xandar, Harry Styles?" Louis cut in impatiently. "Yes. So I think you can see why we need your discretion."

"Yes of course sir." She said, pulling out some paper work to fill out. "Of course he will be given our special treatment for Noble Blood. Was anyone else in your party injured?"

"No, no just him." Louis said, tapping his fingers on the counter. Niall and Liam were with the ship, taking it out to private parking provided by the center. He wanted to hurry this up so they could re-group and get a hold of the royal family.

"Would you mind telling me what happened so I may relay it to the doctor? At least what his injuries are?" The nurse asked.

Louis took a moment to think, because he wasn't sure if he should tell her everything yet. He knew there was no way he could be arrested on this planet, but he'd still killed people. She might put extra security on them if he told her, and what Louis wanted was less attention. "Um, when we were rescuing him, there was a commotion and he fell about twenty feet. His ankle is broken, that's for sure, and Zayn said there was a head injury, but I'm not sure. He's been passed out for hours and nothing we do will wake him up."

"That's probably his body's response to the pain." The nurse assured him. She checked a few of the boxes on the paperwork and then handed it over to Louis. "How long was he captured? Is there a chance of malnourishment?"

"I'm not sure actually, we haven't had any time to ask." Louis said.

"Alright, well just fill out the paperwork the best you can, and I'll make sure a private wing is secured for him." The nurse said as she walked around the desk to shake Louis' hand. "The bill will be sent to Harry's family as soon as possible."

"Okay, okay thank you." Louis quickly made his way over to the waiting area. To be perfectly honest, Louis didn't even know how to fill out this paperwork. Sure, he had plenty of files about Harry, but he didn't know a real thing about him. It just didn't feel right going through all of this personal information for him.

Liam and Niall came in a few minutes later, as well as Zayn from where he was with Harry. He looked pretty disheveled as he plopped down on the seat next to Louis. "Still hasn't woken up, but they injected his ankle with something. They said it would speed up the healing process to just hours."

"Holy shit." Niall exclaimed, sitting across from them. "How'd they manage that?"

Zayn shrugged. "The best healers in the galaxy are here. They've probably found all sorts of cures on this planet."

"What about the prince's head? Do they know what is wrong there? Why he will not wake up?" Liam asked quickly.

"The nurse out here said he passed out from the pain." Louis said as he read over the _Confidentiality & Discretion_ agreement.

"The ones back there said it was shock, and he had a nice little gash on his head." Zayn said, partially agreeing with Louis. "They sewed it up and it healed on the spot, like when I get injured."

"Maybe some of your people are here, Zayn." Niall said curiously. "Like, maybe there's a tribe of tree people in the jungle."

"Maybe." Zayn said slowly. "But no offense to my people, I'd rather stay out of the jungle and here with you... all of you."

Niall's eyes lit up a bit, and his lips quirked into a tight smile. He'd been worried all night that Zayn was still mad at him. This morning when they got to Naboo, Zayn didn't even really greet Niall before pulling Harry into his arms and leaving the ship. He was used to a few hours of moody-Zayn after hooking up with someone, but not an entire night. Maybe it was this job that had Zayn all tense. Either way, hearing that he would rather stay with Niall than go off with people like him warmed Niall's heart. He really tried his best to keep Zayn happy.

"He still hasn't woken up though," Zayn continued. "They don't know why."

"Just let him rest." Louis said, looking up from the papers. He was starting to feel his own exhaustion, and he could clearly see it on all of his companion's faces. "We all need to rest, or at least relax."

The nurse from early returned to retrieve the paperwork from Louis, even though it was still pretty empty. "The doctor has told me that he isn't sure how to wake Harry up, so that's in the hands of the prince. Rooms have been set up for you all in the private wing, and you are welcome to all open spectrums of our facility."

"Thank you, and thank you for being so cooperative with us." Liam said, shaking the nurse's hand. She nodded politely and took the papers to the front desk. "Well, shall we regroup in the private wing?"

"Yeah, I'm practically dead on me feet." Niall groaned, sliding out from his seat. "Wanna take a dip in the sea too."

"I will go with you." Zayn said quietly.

"Really?" Niall sounded small and hopeful again. Louis still wondered what both of them were thinking.

"I'm going to stay in and check on the prince," Louis told them. "I know he's not awake, or anything, but I want to see how he's doing for myself."

"We'll see you out there then," Niall quipped, making his way over to the doors with Zayn. Liam hovered over with Louis for only a moment, wondering if he should be concerned about anything or not. He decided against asking anything and soon left Louis alone.

This was still weird for Louis, caring about a complete stranger. He was used to roughing up the person he'd picked up a bit. He wasn't used to getting anyone but criminals though. Louis felt like he was treating Harry more like a precious item he'd procured, rather than a person, and it didn't sit right with him. Maybe that's how Louis found himself standing at the foot of the prince's hospital bed.

You know, now that Louis can think about it, this was the first time he'd gotten a proper look at Prince Harry. The pictures he'd seen of the prince.. did the real thing about zero justice. _He's... he's like, mega hot_ , Louis thought to himself as he stared at Harry. It should've felt kind of creepy, watching a stranger like that, but Louis saved his life. This was only fair.

Harry was so... well the first thing Louis couldn't get over was how _pink_ Harry was. Louis had been to Xandar, and other planets, enough times to have seen plenty of pink skinned people, but Prince Harry was something else. He was almost magenta, with an eye-catching beauty. It could be because he was of Royal Blood, but Louis was entranced. And his hair was so dark brown that it contrasted beautifully with his skin. The doctors put a bandage where they sewed Harry up, and fixed his hair back into a tight bun, but Louis wanted to take it down. He wanted to tussle it up and run his fingers through it.

Louis blinked himself out of that thought, and right into a different one of how big Harry was. He'd sort of noticed when they were escaping Knowhere that the prince had those long limbs hanging around him, but there wasn't time to dwell. Now, however, there wasn't anything to stop Louis from admiring the body in front of him. Most of Harry was covered by a hospital gown and blanket, but Louis could still see how muscular his arms were. He could tell how built Harry was, even just lying there. A soldier's body.

It took everything Louis had to not reach out and touch the prince. It would be so embarrassing if that was what woke him up. So instead, Louis brought his hand up to his own mouth, nervously biting on the tip of his pointer finger. He remembered when Harry tenderly wiped away Louis' blood, how warm he felt against him. Louis wished there was more he could do to help.

"This really sucks Prince Charming." Louis mumbled. Then he remembered something he'd heard a really long time ago. Something about people being able to hear you while they're in a coma. There's no proof of it actually working, but Louis could try. "Um... well I'm Louis. Louis Tomlinson, and my friends and I got hired to save you. But don't like... don't feel bad about needing to be saved, or anything. Not even the very best of people can do everything perfectly."

Okay, he had no idea where he was going with this. "Sorry, I don't really know you and here I am sounding like a nut. Just um, you need to wake up, Prince Charming--maybe I shouldn't call you that... it's not very formal."

He wasn't expecting any sort of response, but a part of Louis hoped once Harry _did_ wake up, he could keep the pet name. "Anyway, you need to wake up, because we're all worried. Everyone on your home planet is worried. Wish I could show you the reaction from people when the news story broke. Your sister-- oh shit! I-I have to go."

Louis ran out of the hospital room and to the bedrooms, but he couldn't find any of his crew. how could they have forgotten to call the royal family? That was supposed to be one of the first things they did when they landed. He remembered Niall saying he wanted to go to the beach, so Louis turned around and headed out the back door.

Thankfully the other three were wading in only a couple feet of water. Zayn and Niall seemed to be back to normal, since they were laughing and splashing at each other. Liam was standing next to them, stretching in the sun.

"Niall!" Louis shouted as he jogged over the sand.

"Hey!" Niall said, waving at him. "How's his highness?"

"Still the same, but that's not what I need you for." Louis said quickly, then continued before Niall could ask anything. "Did you contact the royal family at all?"

The man's pale blue eyes widened. "Oh shit, I forgot. Sorry."

"No it's fine, let's just get that done now. They need to know he's at least in good hands." Louis told him as Niall rushed out of the water and to his jacket.

"Right, I'll just tell them he has minor injuries and we're getting him better on Naboo." Niall pulled out his miniscreen and started to tap out the message. "We can tell them we're departing... tomorrow?"

"I guess so, hopefully he'll wake up before then." Louis said. Harry didn't look like he was in any pain anymore. In fact, Louis thought he was in a very peaceful sleep.

"Even if he doesn't they'll still--huh." Niall stopped mid sentence and glared down at his screen. "That's not good."

"What?" Louis asked, peaking  down at the screen.

"It says the communication connection failed." Niall said as he started playing around with things on the screen. With each passing second, he grew more and more annoyed at the device, and started swearing. "Piece of shit! Nothing I do will fix the connection!"

Louis grabbed the device out of Niall's hands before he could do real damage to it. "It's fine Niall, really. We'll use mine to contact Princess Gemma and tell her to pass it on."

"Okay, good idea." Niall said as he slowly calmed down.

But when Louis tried to get a connection with Gemma, his miniscreen failed as well. "Oh no." He tried setting after setting, but nothing worked just like Niall. "I-I can't get through either. Do you think we're too far?"

Niall shook his head, groaning with frustration. "I've connected with clients all the way in the first quadrant before this and it worked fine."

"Why then--Liam!" Louis shouted, hoping Liam would know something about this.

"Something wrong?" Liam asked as he and Zayn charged up to them.

Louis looked up at him nervously. "Neither of us can connect with Xandar's communication center. Do you think you could fix it?"

"I could try..." Liam took Louis' miniscreen and, a lot more calmly, followed the same route Louis did. He hummed and scrunched up his brow, not sure why it wouldn't work. "Maybe you are not the problem, try connecting with your father on Tattooine."

Louis did as he was told and sure enough, Louis was able to connect just fine with the Tattooine communication center. "Well that's just great. Why won't it work for Xandar?"

"The problem must be on their end." Liam said. Then he quickly looked at Louis and Niall, then over to Zayn. "Did... Louis did you leave Harry alone?"

"Yeah... this is a trustworthy place Li," Louis said, a bit annoyed that Liam didn't trust him on this.

"Harry probably thought the same thing about Grim! And now look where he is!" Liam broke into a run back up to the center, and the others followed.

When they got to the room, everything was as Louis left it only minutes ago. Harry was still on the bed and the monitors still had steady beats on them. Liam was looking all around, maybe for a bug or something, and he seemed rather apologetic when he didn't find anything.

Louis just shrugged, he was more focused on trying to get in touch with Gemma or Ashton. Now that they were back inside, Louis tried to connect with Xandar again, but he got the same result. "Dammit. What's going on with them?"

"Hold on," Zayn turned on the telescreen and flipped through a few channels until he found the news. The story going on was quickly cut off by a breaking new report.

**"Coruscant has invaded Xandar. Repeat, Coruscant has invaded Xandar.**

**In the early hours this morning, a fleet of Coruscant Starships and carriers invaded the central planet of the Xandar Providence. With Xandar's Star Fight Initiative putting effort into recovery of the kidnapped Prince Harry Styles, there was little left to defend against the attack.**

**As of now we only have communication with planet Xandiir, because Xandar and Xandor have been blocked out by the Coruscantians. This communication will most likely be cut off very soon, so we are gathering as much information as we can before that happens.**

**If you are planning on travelling to the Providence, or even close by, we suggest you change plans or find an alternate route."**

Niall was the one to turn off the bad news. He slumped down in an empty seat and clawed at his hair. "Oh shit. Well, what do we do now?"

The three of them looked to Louis, who was honestly just as lost and scared. "Well... well Liam's right, we shouldn't leave Harry alone. So let's take turns watching him, yeah?"

"I shall take the first watch," Liam volunteered.

"Great, just until after sun down, then Niall can take over during the night." Louis said.

"Fine with me." Niall said. "I'll just take a nap now then, don't want to fall asleep on him."

"I'll go with you Ni," Zayn said, following Niall out of the room, as usual.

Liam took the seat closest to the bed and stared at Harry, head in his hands and elbows rested on his knees. "Poor guy. First he gets betrayed by his own partner, and now this. I fear his reaction when he does wake up."

"We'll have to break it to him gently," Louis mumbled, then he realized something even worse. "Li, Prince Harry wasn't taken straight to Coruscant."

"Yes, this is true."

"Well.. he wasn't taken to Coruscant and then they invaded." Louis continued. "I-I don't think he was the primary target. I think those bastards used him as a distraction."

+

The pounding inside Harry's head grew softer and softer the longer he slept. His ankle didn't hurt anymore and he felt like he was floating on a soft cloud. He couldn't remember much after falling into that stranger's arms, besides the pain and a soft, angelic voice telling him to hold on. To stay with him.

Harry tried waking up, he tried for hours, but his mind just wouldn't let him yet. So he stayed mostly asleep, drifting through his thoughts, until he started to dream. The dreams didn't make any sense at first, just shapes and colors and mist, but they quickly changed to an image of Harry's first Star Fight training facility.

_He walked through a crowded gym area and recognized a lot of the people in with him. It didn't take long for Harry to realize this dream was a memory, and he knew exactly which day this was._

_Harry saw a crowd of ensigns gather at the hanging ropes at the other end. He knew what they were going to watch, because it was him. There'd been another ensign he had an argument with, well, the ensign made comments about his royal status and Harry got offended. He remembered being called a spoiled brat who didn't deserve to be there._

_The other soldier wanted to fight, but instead, Harry challenged him to a race up the climbing rope. He knew they weren't supposed to use the equipment yet, but Harry wasn't about to sit around and let this person insult him._

_Harry watched as his seventeen year old self climbed up the rope, only seconds in front of his challenger. He wanted to laugh at how young he looked, how gangly and skinny he was. His hair was shorter, and held more tight curls, he didn't start wearing it up all the time until his second year of training. His cheeks were chubbier and he still had baby fat on his tummy and sides, but he was strong. He could easily pull his body weight up the rope._

_The cheering crowd below suddenly became silent before either boy could win... because the officers had entered the gym._

_Harry's challenger saw them and quickly swung himself down to stand in the lineup. Sadly, Harry didn't know what was happening until--_

_"Styles!" The captain shouted over everyone._

_The young prince gasped and stopped his movements, eyes widening when he was caught. Of course this was happening to him, and on the very first day too. He was frozen in place for only a moment before he found it in him to slowly climb back down. Harry was going to run to the lineup, but his Captain was already in front of him._

_His arms were crossed tightly over his chest and he angrily glared down at Harry. "My office. Now."_

_The other ensigns grinned as Harry walked past, a couple even "oo'd" at him. It was humiliating._

_Once inside the Captain's office, Harry immediately sat in the chair in front of the wide desk. The captain closed and locked the door with a deep sigh. "Harry. Harry, Harry, Harry. What were you doing?"_

_"I was winning a race sir." Harry grunted._

_"Don't you use that tone with me." The captain snapped. He sat down in his own chair, and leaned his elbows onto the desk. "What were you racing him for? Everyone was ordered to stay off the supplies."_

_"I--he was provoking me." Harry said, looking guiltily down at his hands. "He was calling me names, saying I didn't deserve to be here because..."_

_"Because you're the prince." Captain finished for him. He drummed one of his hands on the desk, then sat back in his chair. "Harry, I like you. Your father and I fought together when we were only a little older than you are now. So I know you're a good kid, and you will do fantastic things here. But, you knew coming into this that there would be nay-sayers."_

_"Yes, sir." Harry gloomily mumbled._

_"Those boys will always think anything you get in life is because you are a royal." Captain continued. "It's up to you to show them otherwise. Understand?"_

_"Yes, sir."_

_"You can't get hurt every time one of them makes comments like that, yeah? Because it's going to happen again. It will keep happening." The captain told Harry, watching while the little prince nodded along. "You have to prove that you are more than that. You have to prove that you are more than your last name and your parents."_

Before Harry knew what was going on, his dream changed. However, it felt more like a cold, dark nightmare this time. He already felt chills and goosebumps all around his body.

_Tivan was right in front of him, laughing and poking his sides with a crystal cane. Harry wasn't in a tank anymore, but instead a cramped, barred, cage made of rusted metal. It was too small for him and his back ached from being folded up._

_"The prettiest prize of all of them." Tivan sneered, petting a cold finger down Harry's cheek. "So weak."_

_He slapped Harry and walked away from the cage, still laughing maliciously, and that's when Harry saw Grim and Carina. They laughed at him too, threw bits of food at Harry. He could barely breathe in there, but all of his cries for help fell on deaf ears._

_"Just let me go!" Harry shouted._

_"Can't you get out by yourself?" Grim asked in a sick, mocking tone. "Can't the big, strong Prince do it all himself?"_

_"Please, please, please." Harry begged, closing his eyes and rapidly shaking his head. When he opened his eyes again, everything was white. He was still hunched up in the cage, but there was someone new opening the door. The new person pulled Harry out, and he had tan skin and gorgeously blue eyes. "Wh-who--"_

_"No time Prince Charming." That familiar voice said. The person was smiling at him, pulling towards the white lights by his hips. "Just stay with me Prince Charming."_

_Harry could barely remember the face, but he knew the person he was looking at was beautiful. "Thank you. But who--"_

_"Shh," the person cut Harry off again, covering his lips with a single finger. "I've got you."_

_"Where are we going?" Harry asked, but instead of an answer he got a giggle. A really cute giggle. And then the person's hands were sliding down Harry's neck, scratching lightly at his chest. He doesn't know when this person got close enough to kiss him, but Harry felt the brush of his lips, thin and wet._

_They kissed, but it was like a memory. Normally in dreams Harry felt like everything he touched was real, but this wasn't right. He needed more. He needed this kiss to be real. He needed the lips fitting so nicely with his to be real. He needed the tongue sliding into his mouth to be real. Harry especially needed the body flushed against his to be real._

_Harry heard a whimper, then the person pulled back to whisper, "Just um--you need to wake up, Prince Charming."_

Harry's body jolted forward on the hospital bed, as he gasped for breath. He opened his eyes to the unfamiliar surroundings, heart practically racing out of his chest. Until he felt a pair of hands grab his arm.

"Your Majesty, it's okay! You're okay." And there it was, the voice from Harry's dream.

Harry looked right at him and he felt the slightest flutter in his chest. "Y-you."

Louis coughed uncomfortably. "Me. Right. Do you remember anything?"

 _I had a dream about you._ Was what Harry thought, but he knew it would be a little creepy to say. He tried to say something to answer the man's question, but the words were stuck in his throat. He just couldn't stop _staring_ is the thing. There wasn't a lot of time, and Harry was in a lot of pain, during the escape to really look at his rescuer. Harry's dream got it right though, he was beautiful.

His skin was so... well it was tan, which just wasn't something Harry saw everyday on Xandar, and it was so smooth. And his _eyes_ , bluer than any Harry's ever seen before. He was worrying his thin, pink bottom lip between sharp white teeth. Then his hair fell down over his face a little as he shook his head, light brown with other shades mixed in. Harry knew he was staring, probably looking so strange, but he couldn't help it. There was a bruise farming next to the man's lip, and Harry remembered watching him get hit and bleed. He remembered reaching out to clean the wound, feeling how warm the skin was--

"Your Majesty?" The man coughed again, waving a few hands in front of Harry's face. "C-can you hear me? Do you remember what happened?"

Flashes of the escape sped through Harry's mind, slowing down on being caught in this person's arms. He did remember, mostly, now it was a matter of getting himself to speak. "I-I--um, yes I remember. Sorry, I'm still a little w-woozy."

"Perfectly understandable, Your Majesty." Louis said, he snapped his hands back when he noticed they were still holding the Prince's arm. "Um, I'm Louis Tomlinson."

The name sounded vaguely familiar, especially in Louis' own voice, as if they'd already been introduced. But Harry was sure he'd never met this Louis before, or any Louis. "Prince Harry Styles." Harry said, reaching out to shake Louis' hand.

Louis smirked, it was too cute for words, and let out a breathless laugh as he shook back. "Oh I know. Your, um, your sister hired me and my friend to find you."

"Are you--private rescue or something?" Harry asked. He knew his heartbeat was speeding up when their hands finally touched. He could hear it on the monitor, but either Louis didn't notice or he was being kind enough to ignore it.

"Or something... we gave my job the fancy little title of Commodity Procurer and... um Bounty Hunter." Louis said. His smile fell into a nervous one, and he almost looked ashamed of it. "I'm just a bounty hunter really, almost a criminal."

Harry shrugged, sitting back against the frame of the hospital bed. "You saved my life, doesn't really matter what your job is. And I never thought of bounty hunters as criminals. You just catch them."

"I'd be lying if I said I never broke the law to do my job though." Louis said, ruffling his hair up with one hand. "I did sort of blow up a building for you."

Harry started laughing, face going soft with it. "Tivan was low-life scum. I don't think anyone will care what you did to him."

Louis frowned slightly. "It was messy work." He recalled lessons with Yondu about difficult jobs, and he was always told to finish them cleanly. "I should know better than to--" Louis sighed, shaking his head. He didn't need to discuss this with a prince. "We got a bit off topic, I think."

"Aw, now why I can't get to know my savior?" Harry asked, pouting his lips. He liked this Louis already.

This Louis whose cheeks turned pink, wasn't that a sight for Harry, and batted his eyelashes. "Majesty--"

"Harry. You saved my life, you can call me Harry, it's fine." The prince insisted.

Louis hesitated. He honestly didn't expect Harry to be this cool. "Really are a regular Prince Charming."

There was that nickname again from the menagerie and Harry's dream. He had no idea what it meant, but he has been called charming by many people in court. He liked the way it sounded when Louis said it though, with the softest, fondest voice.

"Well, Harry, as I was saying." Louis continued. He could see the interested smile on Harry's face and it caused little palpitations in Louis' heart. "Your sister hired me and my friend, he should be in soon, and your parents hired two other bounty hunters separately. We're all working together though."

"I remember one of them, the one who looks like a tree?" Harry said.

"Yeah that's Zayn, we're not quite sure what he is." Louis said. He stood up to press the button to call in a nurse, because they should probably know that Harry was awake. "The other one is Niall, don't know if you saw him. He's got green skin, spiky blonde hair."

Harry shook his head. "Sorry, don't remember. Their names sound familiar, though." Not the way Louis' did, not in a way where Harry has heard them speak to him before. "Are you all okay though? Did  anyone else, um, pass out?"

"No, no just you." Louis said, smirking a bit.

" _Well_. That's not embarrassing at all." Harry said with a laugh. He watched Louis walk around the room, gaze accidentally skimming down the man's compact body.

Louis was small, is the thing, and yet he was both muscular around his thick thighs, and thin at the waist. He was wearing dark clothes that hugged every curve, the arch in his back, the shape of his shoulders. And, excuse Harry for staring, he had a really nice, plump bum. It took Harry just a millisecond of imagining what it would be like to grab at Louis and feel his soft skin, for Harry to direct his eyes away. He stared, instead, at the blank telescreen ahead of him, awkwardly clearing his throat.

"So, um, do you have a plan for taking me home? Do you know when we will leave?" Harry asked as he continued to force himself not to ogle Louis' body.

However, Louis, standing in the doorway, suddenly tensed his hands clutched the frame a bit tighter, and he looked over his shoulder at Harry with pity. He really had no idea how he was going to tell Harry what happened, and he didn't want to. Why couldn't Liam already be in here to do this for Louis.

"Um, Harry we can't-- _God_." Louis sighed, leaning his back against the doorframe. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at giving bad news."

 _Bad news?_ Harry frowned, sitting up straighter on the bed. "What's going on?" Was this another trap? Were they just going to sell him back to Coruscant? This couldn't be happening again, especially not with Louis, he seemed so... so good. He'd been treating Harry so normally. The prince couldn't handle another trap, not after where he ended up last time. "Why won't you take me to Xandar?"

"It's not that I _won't_ , I promise you I'm on your side." Louis said. He sat down on the corner of Harry's bed, but the prince pulled his feet away. "It's... I _can't_ take you back, Harry."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked, growing more and more annoyed.

"Harry--hold on." Louis grabbed the remote and quickly switched on the telescreen. Thankfully there was still footage of the invasion going on, a repeat of the report from yesterday. "Just watch this and try to stay calm."

The prince's expression remained tense, yet blank, through the whole report. He twitched a few times and Louis heard all of the monitors start to speed up as time went on, but Harry didn't make a move. His face was ser stone-cold, jaw clenched, and by the time the report ended, all Harry could do was let out a deep, angry breath. He closed his eyes, and Louis watched as his entire body seemed to shudder.

"Can we make any communications?" Harry asked in a low, gravelly voice.

"No, w-we've all tried and no one can get through. Coruscant is completely blocking us out." Louis said quietly. He sat back down next to Harry, not sure what to say.

The prince nodded once, eyes still closed, "We need to go to Xandar."

"H-Harry we can't. It's too dangerous." Louis said. He could see how upset Harry was, especially when a small tear slid down Harry's pink cheek. Neither went to wipe it away.

"I-I have to go home, Louis." Harry stuttered. He tried his hardest to keep it in. He couldn't freak out in front of this stranger, he couldn't lose control about all of this, but he was scared. His family was in danger, they could be dead by now, and he wouldn't even know. They had to find a way to get him to Xandar. He let a few more tears fall out his closed eyes, and his breathing continued to be unsteady.

Then, Harry felt a small, soft hand on his own and he hitched his breathing. His eyes suddenly opened and stared down at their hands, how much bigger he was than Louis. He turned his hand over and let it be held, though he wasn't sure why. It comforted him, calmed him immediately, and Harry was pretty sure that had something to do with Louis. Louis was able to settle him down, from just a touch. A soft touch.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry Harry." Louis whispered, squeezing the prince's hand.

"Have-- you haven't heard about my family at all, have you?" Harry asked, blinking away the last of his tears.

"That news story is all we know." Louis replied, rubbing his thumb up and down along Harry's. "Th-they're probably fine. They probably snuck out, or went into hiding or--" He couldn't' think of any other options for them, but Louis wanted Harry to know it would all be okay.  

They are interrupted by the entrance of one of the bird nurses, who eyed their hands held together, but remained quiet. It's only when the other three men enter that Louis lets go. Liam already saw them holding hands, however, but he's a good friend and won't bring it up until later.

Louis cleared his throat and stood up again. "Harry, these are my--well now _our_ , companions. Liam Payne--"

"Very honored to meet you, Your Majesty." Liam said, bowing to the prince. Louis almost started to laugh, because Liam just _had_ to be official.

Harry would have laughed too if he were in a better mood, but instead he just nodded his head at the man. "Thank you for all you have done." He looked over Liam's shoulder at the other two. "And you as well. You must be Niall and Zayn."

"Louis' already done a bit of explaining then." Niall said as he walked around to shake Harry's hand. "Niall Horan. Happy of be of service to you Prince Harry."

"Morning, thank you, both of you." Harry said, voice still a little rough from the news he just got. "I'm sorry I'm not--"

"Mate, I don't know why you're apologizing." Zayn said. It fell silent, the only noise coming from the nurse checking all the machines.

Harry was nodding a bit to himself. He hated the looks of pity coming from three out of four of them, with only Louis acting normal. This wasn't a normal situation, though, and Harry knew that. He knew that they we hired by his family to save him, and probably for a lot of money, but now the job's being messed up because of the invasion. What if they just left him there? What if they decided that if they wouldn't get their money from Harry's family, then they could get it from someone else who would buy a prince?

How could they want to deal with someone who would only bring his own planet's troubles everywhere they went? "Do you guys-- what are you going to with me now?"

It was Louis who spoke up, in that gentle voice of his. "What do you mean?"

"Now that you can't bring me to Xandar, you won't get your money's worth." Harry stated, and he was met with looks of shock from the other men.

"We will not abandon you in your time of need Your Majesty." Liam said. "We may not know you, but we are not so terrible as to leave you on your own. This will all be sorted out soon I am sure."

"It is actually better that you remain here for longer," The nurse said. She finished writing a few things on the medical clipboard, then stood in front of Harry to check him directly. "Your ankle is perfectly healed, Majesty, but your head may still need watching. We couldn't use the same formula to heal you there, but it still healed nicely. I would have suggested at least one more day under our watch anyway. Especially now that you are awake."

"See, Harry," Louis said, squeezing down on Harry's shoulder. "We'll stay here together and they'll watch you. We'll do everything we can to get in contact with your family."

Harry looked up at him, feeling a tingling on his shoulder from Louis' hand. Their words would be a lot more reassuring if he knew his family was alive.


	6. Kiss the Color of a Constellation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is just oodles of fun and cute. but im sure i did a terrible job of editing... sorry about any mistakes :/
> 
> Chapter title from [Arabella by the Arctic Monkeys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn6-TItCazo), which is also where the fic title is form but that song is so damn good okay.

One more night on Naboo turned into 'however many nights we'll need', mainly due to the fact that none of the company could figure out where to take Harry. The nurses agreed that it was okay that they stayed longer, because Harry could stay under their watch while his head injury healed. The prince kept insisting that he felt perfectly fine, but they were hard to argue with. The bird women and men of Naboo really knew what they were doing.

It was the most relaxed any of them had felt in a long time, though. Yondu used to take Louis to a private beach on Tattooine when he was younger, as a reward for finishing a job. He loved it there, but the beach next to the Naboo hospital was a thousand times more beautiful. Louis could probably use some of the bounty money to take Yondu here on vacation. Maybe on Yondu's birthday.

Liam knew for sure that he would take his wife and daughter to a Paradise Planet. Tarth had lovely landscapes, and warm tropical climates, but Sophia and Ava have never left their home. Liam wanted to be a good husband, and father, and share his adventures with them.

Zayn and Niall were doing much better than when they arrived at Naboo. Nobody could help but feel happy on that planet. Especially since Niall took Zayn into the jungle their second evening. it was such a romantic walk, with flowers that glowed and tiny lightning bugs lighting their path, but nothing between them ever turned into romance. It was part of the reason Zayn was feeling like he was on his final strands with Niall. How do you convince someone you've known so long to love you?

Zayn was starting to think you can't. It had to happen fast and immediately, or not at all. He'd still never leave Niall, and hated the way his heartstrings tugged when Niall picked him one of the glowing flowers.

He was going to be stuck with Niall forever.

The only one who had yet to let go and enjoy themselves, was Prince Harry. He never left his room and had the news on at all times to check in on his family. There were never any updates; just the same old story, and useless people speculating on it. The communications with Xandiir were cut off long ago, and Coruscant wouldn't let anyone come near them. Nobody knew what was happening there, or if the Royal family were okay.

Something that kept getting repeated, was that Harry was just a distraction. If he hadn't been captured then the SFI wouldn't have been too reoccupied to save the planet. It was disgusting how they talked about him. He was in agony over his family and all these people wanted to do was blame the entire thing on him.

His nurse came in to do the afternoon check up on all the monitors and his head. The people on the news had just entered into an entirely new, and even more angering, theory of what happened.

**"All I'm saying is that it's pretty suspicious how Prince Harry _suddenly_ disappears and now the entire Province is overtaken. We can't rule out the possibility of him being involved--"**

**"Preposterous! Prince Harry is a Patriot! He joined up to protect the Province!"**

**"His fighter joined up to, and him and his parents are all spies! There was no ransom, no demands, just a very hostile takeover! Harry is second in line to the throne, maybe he wanted it all to himself, and this was the best way to get it."**

**"Insanity! These wild accusations are incredibly far-fetched! Anyone with a brain and eyes can see that the Styles children love each other, and Prince Harry has never shown any interest in the crown before. You are way out of line--"**

Harry switched off the telescreen. He couldn't handle hearing those kinds of things being said about him. Harry did love Gemma, and knew she would make a wonderful queen one day. How could anyone think he would want to take that away from her? How could they think he would betray his home?

The nurse finished up her cheeks by removing the bandage on Harry's head and throwing it out. The wound healed nicely and nobody would be able to see the red scar on Harry's pink skin. She pushed back the hairs that had fallen out of his bun and sighed.

"You poor thing. I hope you can return home and set those people straight." She said as she packed away some supplies.

"You are very kind, thank you." Harry said softly. He sat up on the bed and pulled his legs into his chest. "I-I think I'll actually go outside today."

"That's very good majesty." The nurse clapped her hands together and went to grab something out of a closet. She held up a stack of clothes, including Harry's newly washed uniform, and placed them neatly on the bed. "We have provided you with extra articles of clothes that you may keep. There are some swim trunks in that as well, if you wanted to relax in one of our tranquility pools for a little while."

"That sounds wonderful, actually. Thank you again." Harry waved to her as she left and he stood up to cover the windows with curtains.

He slipped the hospital gown off and let it gracelessly fall to the floor, leaving him in tight black underwear and a white T-shirt. He glanced at himself in the mirror, and while his body looked the same as he remembered, he felt so different. This was the reflection of a man who let down his entire Kingdom.

His hands slipped up to the back of his neck and he squeezed, moving them around to slap lightly at his own cheeks, willing the bad thoughts away. He needed something else to focus on, something to take his mind off all of his worries. That put his thoughts on Louis.

What was it about this Louis that had Harry so intrigued? He was beautiful, yes of course, and he was kind, but there are so many beautiful and kind people in the world. Louis had something extra, though, he had something special. And Harry really wanted to figure out what it was.

The swim trunks they had given him were a bit short, and very yellow, but they were still comfortable. Once he got them on all the way, Harry saw that they were tight around his lower region, but he figured he'd be covered enough by the water for anyone to see. He slung a towel over his shoulders and stepped out the back door into the warm outside.

The sun was blindingly bright, Harry had to put a hand up to shade his eyes, and it reflected off the ocean water in sparkly waves. There was a sign a few feet away that directed Harry to the tranquility pools, and when he got to them he was all alone.

Harry sighed, dropping his towel onto a chair, and stepped into the cool water. There was some kind of luminescent plankton swirling around, that glowed in blue-ish, green-ish colors. He settled back against the tile of the small, circular pool, and closed his eyes, finally relaxing his body.

+

Louis had been trying for days to talk to Harry again. He wasn't sure how the Prince was feeling when they left him after waking up. Harry never left his room and the door was usually locked anyway. Louis walked past it from the outside a few times, but Harry kept the curtains closed.

It was frustrating, because Louis felt drawn to Harry. Since the first time they laid eyes on each other in the menagerie, Louis felt a little something. Like he wanted to learn all about what Harry was like past the Prince of Xandar persona. So, Louis was a little surprised when Harry actually slipped out of his room and walked barefoot down the path to the tranquility pools. He was only in a pair of really short, tight yellow swim trunks that made Louis swallow a bit of saliva forming in his mouth.

He was lounging in the sand by the Donny and once again Louis found himself ogling the prince. _God. He's got killer legs_. Louis thought as he watched Harry and the shorts walk down a hill. The other half of his brain, the rational half, was trying to tell Louis that looking at Harry like this, that feeling these flutterings in his tummy, was wrong and will amount to nothing. Harry was a prince, and just because there's this weird tension between them, doesn't mean he'd want Louis back. _He's still hot_. The irrational part of Louis' brain thought. It's all very confusing inside Louis' mind.

It's Louis' feet that carry him away from the sand and down to the pools, with Liam behind. Liam has been looking at Louis with this odd expression since the day Harry woke up. As if he's starting to realize something that Louis doesn't even suspect, and it's quite unnerving.

"Where are you going Louis?" Liam asked, pulling Louis back by his arm. "Don't you want to stay by the ship?"

"Niall and Zayn fixed it once before. They don't need our babysitting while they... do whatever it is they're doing." Louis said, wiggling out of Liam's grasp. Zayn woke Louis up early that morning and told him Niall had some plans for the ship to make it more efficient or something. Louis was mostly asleep, but he told them to do whatever they wanted. "What do you think they'll do? Leave? No point in leaving without Harry."

" _Prince Harry_ ," Liam corrected.

Louis internally groaned, "Not this again-- _Liam_. He told me to call him Harry."

"It is not proper Louis. He is a prince and we should treat him as such, especially after the past couple weeks he has had." Liam said sternly.

"Li, you mean well, I know you do, but right now Harry just needs to be comfortable." Louis said, continuing down the hill. "I'm still treating him with respect, but also like a normal person. He needs to know we are his friends."

Liam sighed. For all the ways he knew better than Louis, this was something he wasn't superior in. Louis could befriend almost anyone with a smile, while it was always harder for Liam. "If you say so"

"I do, now let's go. We should get to know Harry, if we're all stuck together like this." Louis said. He could see Harry in the pool now, lying against the rocks, with his head back and eyes closed. His body was under the water, so at least there wouldn't be anything to distract Louis from the conversation.

Harry could hear them walking up when they were only feet away, and he was actually glad to have some company. Especially when one of that company was Louis, who looked cute in his own black shorts and shirt. Harry gave them both a small wave and smile. "Hi."

"Hiya Harry, how are you feeling?" Louis asked as he perched on a bench next to the pool.

Harry only shrugged. "Not worse, but not better, you know?"

"You're worried, it's normal." Louis said, smiling warmly. "I'd be concerned if you weren't."

"What, like I was in on it?" Harry snapped.

Louis' eyes widened. "No, that's not what I meant at all, Harry. Of course you aren't in on this."

"Sorry," Harry sighed, wiping a hand down his face with the cool water. "Sorry, I was watching the news, and correspondents were saying complete shit."

"What's all they're good for. They get paid big bucks to say complete shit." Louis quipped.

It made Harry's lips twitch into a smile. "Yeah, that's the truth. Do you two want to join me in here?"

"Sure Your Ma--um Harry." Liam said, taking off his shirt and leaving it on the bench.

However, Louis didn't move, in fact his fingers gripped the side of the bench harder, while he chewed on his bottom lip. The water looked so relaxing, as did the glowing plankton, but... he couldn't take off his shirt, at least not in the middle of the day where anyone could see. There'd be so many questions, and he never felt like providing the answers to them. Liam knew about it, he knew everything, but he only found out by accident.

Still, Louis didn't want to be rude. So, he stood up and dipped just his feet and his lower legs into the water. It felt nice and Louis just ignored the different looks he got from the other two men. The pool wasn't very big, so Louis' right leg brushed up against Harry's arm when he sat down. Harry looked up at him quickly, then back down at the water, like he couldn't stop himself from getting a peak.

"It's weird," Harry started. "I was so prepared to be away from them for a long time, but now I miss them so damn much."

"Probably because you were sure it would be you in all the danger, not them." Louis said, regretting it when he saw the muscles on Harry's back tense.

"Guess you're right." Harry mumbled. Then he let out a sad, breathless laugh. "I wasn't even scared for myself when I left. I told Ashton I would be sitting on my arse all the time."

"Ashton is the man betrothed to your sister, correct?" Liam asked, hoping to distract Harry from his sadness.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, smiling fondly. "He was my best friend first, though."

"Oomph," Louis chuckled. "And now he's dating your sister? Must be strange."

Harry laughed for real at that, deep dimples appearing on his cheeks. "People always say that, but it's really not that odd. I love them both and they're in love with each other. He's been practically my brother for years anyway."

"That's a nice way of looking at it." Liam said, while Louis stayed quiet, mind wandering all the way back to his own youth and a sister who didn't even know if he was alive. "When are they set to be married?"

"They were going to have the wedding during the break in my tour, but now I don't know," Harry said. He shook his head, bun bouncing back and forth, and leaned his neck back.

"And what about you? Anyone special in your life?" Liam asked, glancing over at Louis, who perked up with interest.

The prince just snorted, shaking his head. "No, not at the moment. I had a few on and off's through the years, a couple hook ups during training, but nobody serious."

"Sounds like Louis." Liam chuckled.

But Louis huffed and crossed his arms. Honestly, Liam could be like the most embarrassing dad in the universe. He didn't know what would happen when Ava was grown up. "Just enjoying freedom, mate."

Harry licked his lips, nodding along. "It's alright. I was pretty focused on all my training, I never had time to settle down."

Louis liked that in Harry, in any man really. Still, something in his chest stung at the thought of Harry never just staying with one person forever. He didn't know why he suddenly cared.

"What about you Liam? Anyone special waiting back at home... where're you from again?" Harry asked.

"Tarth, so not far from you." Liam answered, his face fell in the same smile he always has when he talks about his family. "I'm married actually. Beautiful wife named Sophia. And we have a daughter, Ava."

"You've a baby?" Harry asked. His eyes started to twinkle and he couldn't stop the wide smile from forming on his face. He really loved kids, okay?

"She is three, and just as pretty as her mother." Liam said, stretching his arms above his head.

"People on Tarth are like that, aren't they? Marrying young, but staying with that person forever?" Harry asked.

While Liam went on a little explanation of "oh well Tarth is a very old planet" or "eventually you just pick up on what's important in life", Harry's hands started moving below the water. He was listening, but froze when his hand brushed Louis' foot, and once again they felt a tingle. Maybe it was from the tropical sun, but Louis felt a rush of heat flow through his cheeks whenever Harry touched him. And he kept touching him.

Louis lost track of the conversation when Harry started to tug on his own lips. They were so plump, is the thing, and their plumpness was accented every time Harry rolled them between his long fingers. His lips were a darker pink than the rest of his skin too, almost purple. Louis wondered what lovebites would look like, trailing up the column of Harry's neck, in circles around Harry's chest. Louis swiped his tongue across his lips at the thought of suck on Harry's skin, biting at his lips.

It didn't register that the conversation went to him, until Liam splashed water at him. It didn't register at all that Harry had seen him staring, and the prince was having his own similar thoughts of Louis. What would happen to Louis' neck if Harry kissed it and nibbled at it for a while? Something pretty probably, like the rest of Louis.

He wondered why Louis wouldn't get in the water in them, or at least take off his shirt in the heat. He really, _really_ wanted Louis to take his shirt off, if only just this once, so the prince could see his body. Harry couldn't even imagine what a gorgeous body Louis had.

A cruel voice in Harry's head started to whisper, _how can you even think about him when your family could be dead? Gemma, Ashton, your parents could all be killed, and all you care about is getting some._

"What did you say?" Louis asked as he shook his head and looked away from Harry's mouth.

"Harry asked how you found yourself in this line of work." Liam said, nervously because he knew Louis wasn't the biggest fan of his own story.

"Oh," Louis' face fell, and he carefully folded his hands in his lap. "Well, Yondu Udonta, that's my dad, he's this famous bounty hunter, and I guess just being around him I sort of... fell into it."

"No offense, but I don't know what kind of father would let their kid go into something so dangerous." Harry said with a shrug.

"You joined the army didn't you? Your daddy let you do that." Louis snapped. How could Harry just say this to him? He has no idea how complicated Louis' life used to be, how much better Yondu made it. Harry was ruining himself for Louis. "I'm gonna go back to the ship."

"Louis, wait--" Harry grabbed him by the ankle so he couldn't leave. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong, you're just not what I expected bounty hunters to be."

"It's fine," Louis sighed, kicking out of Harry's grasp. "I'm-- apology accepted--but I'm still going to the ship. Check on the other boys."

Harry watched while Louis half jogged back up the hill, and he groaned, sinking under the water then back up. Liam was shaking his head when Harry resurfaced. "I'm really sorry, you know. I was just trying to get to know you guys."

"I know this, Prince Harry. I know you mean well." Liam said staring off at the now empty hill. He really thought Louis was feeling something with the prince, and maybe he'd be more open. "Louis... he did not have the most traditional upbringing. When he was a child..."

"What?" Harry asked after a pause.

"I apologize your-- Harry, but it is not my story to tell." Liam said. "I will say that Louis did not always have an easy time growing up, but he is very content in his life now. Yondu is his adoptive father, and trust me when I say he has done very good by Louis."

Harry frowned slightly. "I'm confused."

"Give Louis time to open up, although it may never happen. I myself only know about his younger years by mistake." Liam said as he once again relaxed against the pool wall. "Stay and calm down for a little while, and let Louis cool down too. I do not think he will be mad at someone like you for very long."

While Harry contemplated the meaning behind _'someone like you'_ , he still felt bad for offending Louis. But, what happened to him to make him become so defensive that quickly? Where was Louis' real family if it wasn't Yondu?

+

"Niall, I really think it will fit better if you attach it down here." Zayn yelled up to Niall, who was standing on the roof of the Donny, failing at putting a phaser gun on the ship. "Ni, it's seriously not going to fit."

The green lad grunted with his frustration and threw a wrench to the ground, narrowly missing Zayn's head. "Fine. Now we have to measure the whole damn thing again!"

Zayn rolled his eyes and, in his most sarcastic voice, said, " _Wow_ , now if only one of us was smart enough to already do that." He smirked up at Niall and shook around a small piece of paper with various numbers written on it. "Get down here, you knob head."

"Zee, you genius sapling, you beautiful Twiggy." Niall cheered, climbing off the roof.

They'd been working since that morning on additions to the Donny. After the news story about Coruscant's invasion on Xandar, Niall's been sure that they needed to be more protected. Luckily, he was able to find all kinds of materials in the local stores to make weapons additions for the ship. He didn't even need to explain everything to Louis, because the human was preoccupied with looking after Prince Harry.

"I still don't know why we need to add another phaser to the outside. What about a dwarf missile?" Zayn asked as he watched Niall slide under the ship with his tools.

"Because even dwarf missiles will be too heavy." Niall said. "I rigged the warp core so hyperspace will be three times faster, but if we put too much weight on, there will have been no point."

"And you're positive this will be okay with Louis?" Zayn also asked. He was the one who got their permission to work on the ship, but Louis was mostly asleep and didn't even ask to see Niall's plans.

"You told me he said we could do whatever we wanted. Trust me, he'll like this." Niall stated.

"Trust you, yeah." Zayn mumbled. Lately trusting Niall was proving to be more trouble than it's worth. Louis never said anything against weaponizing his ship, but he also never said anything for it, either. Zayn couldn't argue with Niall, though, because he had a point about needing all of this. If they ever made contact with the royal family, and needed to get onto Xandar, the extra guns would really help. So, Zayn grabbed the tool box and the gun supplies and sat down next to where Niall was working.

They passed tools and supplies to each other, back and forth, while Niall recounted some adventure they went on years ago. At one point Zayn had to get ice because Niall dropped a wrench on his face. His nose bled a little, but, of course, Zayn patched it right up. He was still on his last legs of friendship, but Zayn was starting to feel like he did in old times. Back before Zayn realized he was in love with Niall, their friendship was so easy, but since the start of this job, they've been out of sync.

Pretty soon, Louis walked back up the hill, with wet feet and a frown, muttering something under his breath.

"Hey Louis." Zayn called to get his attention. "Everything okay?"

Louis was staring at the ground, but he blinked a few times and looked up at Zayn. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. Odd conversation is all. You know, I never asked what you two were doing in here."

"Right, I'll let Niall explain." Zayn reached an arm under the ship and grew it out so it could reach Niall's shoulder.

"Huh-- _ow fuck_!" Niall barked and there was a loud metal bang.

The sapling rolled his amber eyes, "Did you drop the wrench again?"

"No!" Niall shouted as he crawled out from under the ship. He already had a white bandage over his nose, and one of his hands was rubbing a new swollen mark on his cheek. "It was a screwdriver this time."

" _Oh_ poor thing." Zayn cooed with a mocking pout. "Tel Louis what you've done to his ship."

Niall's blue eyes lit up as he stood and explained all the new additions.

Along the left and right sides were phaser guns that could be used as the main weapons. Niall put on stealth shields to protect against attacks from the rear. He upgraded the front shields as well. Then there was the larger phaser gun he was currently attaching, as well as an electromagnetic pulse rocket. The rocket could knock out the power of three same sized ships, but should be used as a last resort, because they only had one.

"How did you even do all of this today?" Louis asked, completely impressed with everything they added.

"I'm just the best, I suppose." Niall said with a shrug. He quickly changed his answer when he saw the stern look from Zayn. "Or, um, I started before you woke up and Zayn asked permission even though it was too late."

Louis burst into laughter, patting them both on the back before throwing his arms around their shoulders. "Well let's check it all out inside yeah? I wanna see if those stealth shields really work."

When they got inside, Niall made a few adjustments under the control board, before starting up the ship. The screens lit up and Niall started to show them how everything worked, but then Zayn noticed a blinking blue dot in the corner of one screen.

"Hey Louis? What does that mean?"

"Oh that's the messages." Louis said as he sat by that screen. "Probably Yondu checking in on me."

He tapped on the message icon and a grainy video came up, but it wasn't from Yondu.

No, there on the screen was a very dirty looking Lord Ashton Irwin.

**"Louis Tomlinson? I pray to the Gods this gets through to you.--"**

Louis paused it and frantically looked back at his friends. "One of you go to the tranquility pools, get Liam and Prince Harry, _now_."

"I got 'em," Niall said quickly, sprinting out of the ship.

"When did you get this message?" Zayn asked, taking a seat next to Louis.

"Time stamp says this morning." Louis read. "You two didn't hear any alerts?"

Zayn shook his head. "Niall had to shut the power down completely so he could work safely. I'm so sorry."

"You're fine." Louis said, waving his hand. "It's probably better we got a message, because connection would probably have been cut off during a call."

Suddenly the door burst open, and the two of them were splashed with a bit of water. Liam was in first, already pulling his shirt back over his head.

"We came as fast as we could--"

"Where's the video?" Harry cut off. Still only in his swim trunks, Louis was too distracted by his muscles and the bulge in his trunks to answer. "Louis! Wait--I really am sorry if what I said offended you, it came out completely wrong."

"I-I," Louis stuttered. Harry was about to learn the fate of his family, but he was apologizing to Louis. As if that was the most important task at the moment. "I forgive you. I overreacted, I guess, but we really should watch this."

"Right, yeah." Harry agreed, breathless and nervous. Zayn gave up his seat for the prince. "Please let them be alright."

Louis didn't even try to stop himself from reaching over, and comfortingly clasping Harry's hand as he pressed play.

**"Louis Tomlinson, this is the first time our communications have gone through, and I don't have much time. We're under attack. Coruscant his us at our weakest points and have their entire armada invading. Most of the people are escaping, but there are so many casualties already. It's devastating here.**

**I don't know if you've found Harry or not, but please keep him away from here. It's not safe anywhere near the province and we can't lose him if--"**

**Ashton stopped himself to take a deep breath. "If anything should happen to us."**

Harry squeezed Louis' hand harder.

**"T-tell him; his parents, Gemma and I, and a few members of the Court are in the safe house under NOVA core headquarters. Tell him we'll do everything we can to fight back and get him home. Tell him we love him."**

The video cut out suddenly, but Harry didn't let go of Louis' hand. "They're alive."

"Yeah," Louis said breathlessly, rubbing up and down on Harry's shoulder with his free hand. "How're you feeling?"

Prince Harry didn't answer, thoughts going fuzzy with all of the emotions he was feeling. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The other men just stared at him, waiting for a bigger reaction of some sort.

All that happened, however, was that Harry let out a deep sigh, and stood up, letting go of Louis. "Harry? You alright?"

" _Yeah,_ " harry gasped, face still struggling with its expression. He had this broken, sort of half smile, because they were alive, but he still couldn't go home. He had to get out of this ship, though, he needed to breathe. "I-- sorry. I need... they're _alive_... Gods..."

He started backing up, bumping into Niall and Liam on his way out. The men grew concerned now, but all but Louis gave Harry some space. Louis followed him to the door, "Harry, where are you going?"

"Just to my room... I need--" Harry took a deep breath and started laughing, hand going to cover his mouth. "Just to my room."

With that, Harry darted out of the ship, smiling and laughing like an idiot. Again, Louis tried to go with him, but Zayn's tree-trunk arms wrapped around his waist and yanked him back in.

"Zayn! What the hell!" Louis squawked, squirming in the tightly wrapped arms.

"Let him go Louis," Zayn said softly. "He needs space."

"He's gotten space for days." Louis huffed. "I just want to make sure he's okay."

"He needs time to take this all in." Zayn said as he released Louis. "Just stay a couple more seconds."

"Yeah, I mean." Niall started, plopping down in an empty seat. "What do we do now? We shouldn't stay here longer, but we still can't go to Xandar."

"I say we leave the quadrant entirely." Liam said. "The other solar systems are probably being searched everyday now that Coruscant has control. They must know Harry has been rescued by now."

"Li's right." Zayn agreed. "If we leave the quadrant they'll never be able to track us. There's just too many places for us to go."

"I know where we can go." Louis said quietly. He turned back to the message screen and back tracked to his contacts. "My dad can help us."

"I thought you didn't want him involved?" Liam asked.

"Not when we were still looking for Harry, but he's got the best place for us to hide." Louis said as he pulled up a message to Yondu.

"We're going to Tattooine? To meet Yondu Udonta?" Niall asked excitedly, sharing a look of anticipation with Zayn. They admired his work for so long.

"That's right." Louis said. He started typing up a quick message that was vague enough to not give anything away in case someone else saw it. Yondu has wanted Louis to come back and visit him for a while now, anyway. It was tournament season at the track, which meant it could be crowded, but Louis always found it easier to hide in large crowds. Especially when those crowds were filled with people loyal to his dad.

"I can't believe we're really meeting him." Niall said, voice full of awe. "Will he like us?"

"He'll like you guys, trust me. He likes all my friends," Louis said with a fond grin. "Now, I'm going to tell Harry what the new plan is."

+

Harry ran back into his hospital room as fast as he could, and he didn't even know why. He was just so happy, so incredibly _relieved_ that his family and his best friend were alive. Ashton said Harry still couldn't come home, but Harry started packing up his things anyway.

There wasn't much to pack anyway, just his uniform and the clothes the rehab gave him. he decided it would be better to change out of the swim trunks, so Harry put on his briefs and a pair of black jeans, then a white V-neck t-shirt. There was a duffle bag in the closet just big enough to fit everything, so Harry unceremoniously threw the rest of the clothes inside.

He got a peak of himself in the mirror and honestly he looked so... common, in this outfit, but he loved it. It was so much more comfortable than the constricting SFI uniform.

Behind him, the latch on the door jiggled and slid open, and Louis stepped into his room. Harry's eyes widened when he saw Louis, because it dawned on him that he had nothing to worry about. Harry knew the place Ashton said they were hiding, and it was the safest, most secret place in Xandar. There was nothing in the back of Harry's mind to whisper to him and make him feel guilty for wanting Louis.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Louis asked, closing the door and the curtain behind himself. "You just ran out on us."

"I'm fantastic." Harry said, smiling so wide and even laughing  bit. "I mean, I can't go home yet, but they're alive! Louis my family is alive and fine!"

"I know, I know and I'm so happy for you." Louis cracked his own smile. He rather liked this wide-faced, happy Prince Harry, with the biggest smile Louis has ever seen. He laid down across Harry's hospital bed, and noticed the messy duffle at the end. "Going somewhere?"

Harry sheepishly zipped the bag closed. "Sorry, I got a bit excited and--I know we can't go to Xandar, but... I guess I figured we could still leave."

"The rest of us were talking about that too, actually." Louis said. "We think it would be a good idea if we left the fourth quadrant and hid somewhere else."

"Yeah, thanks, I just need to get out of here." Harry said quickly. "It's beautiful here, but I just want to get back up in space. It's only been a handful of days, but I feel so antsy for it."

And Louis feels that annoying tightening in his chest, because he understands completely what Harry means. If he goes too long without flying, Louis goes a bit crazy with the need to be in space. Waiting on Xandar for the upgrades to finish was pure torture, and probably why he went to so many bars. "I feel you, can't stand being on the ground too long."

Harry bit his bottom lip, and flicked his eyes around Louis' face. Was it fair that Louis could be so beautiful and so in tune with Harry's feelings? Back when Harry was training it felt like he was the only one who was dying when they touched back down on land. Louis knew what it was like to live for space. "Did, um, did you have somewhere else in mind? To hide at?"

"Yeah," Louis sat up and swung his legs around on the bed so they were hanging off. "We were going to try hiding on Tattooine. My, um, dad lives there and a lot of people are loyal to him. It's the safest place at the moment."

"Your father Yondu, the bounty hunter?" Harry asked, remembering what little Louis told him at the pool.

"Yeah that one. Don't worry though, we're not bad people." Louis said, turned defensive by how Harry put it, again. Yondu was Louis' guardian for most of his life, who cares what his past occupation was? Not that Louis wasn't used to this kind of treatment by upper-class people, it's just that Harry's been so normal about everything so far.

The prince picked up on what Louis was thinking, though, and immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to imply anything like that. I told you I don't care what you do." He sat down next to Louis and lowered the duffle onto the ground to make room. "But... isn't Tattooine a little known for, um, criminal activity?"

"It's not some upper-class place like Xandar," Louis said quietly. "But there are some rich cities. Yondu lives in one of the biggest cities there and he's pretty wealthy."

"Louis, I'm not worried about whether the people are wealthy or not." Harry cut in, placing a reassuring hand on Louis' thigh. It gave them both goosebumps, but Harry left it there. "I've been in the army since I was seventeen, and for most of training we lived on practically nothing. I _really_ don't care about wealth. I'm concerned about criminal activity, because I don't want my presence to put everyone in danger."

"Oh." Louis hushed up. Of course Harry doesn't think that way, as if he weren't perfect enough. "We could put you in a disguise. I mean, you already don't look all that much like yourself in those clothes."

Louis stood up, knocking Harry's hand off his leg as he did, and stared up and down pensively at Harry's body. "I think I have a few things on the Donny that could help. Just stay here while I get them."

Harry watched him bounce out of the room, and seeing Louis' hips sway as he moved was easily becoming one of Harry's favorite sights.

The man returned moments later with a few articles of clothing in his hands. "Here put this on instead of that shirt." Louis tossed a long-sleeved, pale purple sweater to Harry. "I think I took this from someone else, because it's so big on me. But we need to cover you up, because if anyone sees bright pink walking around Tattooine they'll know something's up."

"What do the people on Tattooine look like?" Harry asked as he shucked off the T-shirt.

Louis blushed as he glanced down at Harry's well-defined body. He knew Harry asked him a question, but it was hard to speak with such a distracting view. "Um--sorry," Louis turned away while Harry put on the sweater, which fit like a glove. "B-blue skin mostly. There will be people that aren't natives there, but you'll be so recognizable, not to mention eye-catching.--Because you're so, um, _pink_."

Harry started laughing, ever fondly. "It's so funny to hear you talk like that. As if being pink is weird."

"It is for me." Louis said as he turned around and, _damn_ , Harry looked good in that sweater. "People where I'm from don't have the skin colors of Crayola Markers."

"What's  Crayola--"

"Doesn't matter." Louis interrupted. "It's not a _bad_ thing, it's just different from me, whatever. It's actually kind of pretty."

He regretted it as soon as he said it, especially when Harry raised his eyebrows. The prince flashed his eyes up and down Louis, licking his lips. "You think I'm pretty?"

The comment made Louis sputter, fishing his mouth open and closed, until he saw that Harry was smirking at him. "Just--just let me put the damn disguise on you." Louis dropped the other two items he had on the bed next to Harry; a short, black silk scarf, and a pair of black sunglasses. "So, you can wear the scarf around the bottom of your face, and don't worry because it's so sandy where we're going. Plenty of people be dressed like that. The sunglasses will cover your eyes, and that should conceal you pretty well."

"Okay, I'll just try it out now." Harry put the sunglasses on and folded the scarf before tying it around his face. he was mostly covered up, but somehow Louis still felt like it wasn't enough. "Good?"

"Not quite." Louis hummed and returned to his seat on the hospital bed next to Harry. Then it clicked for him. "C-could I take your hair down?"

"Huh?" Harry cocked one of his brows.

"Well, um, your face is mostly covered up, but if we take your bun down it will help even more." Louis said. Harry nodded, but before he could do it himself, Louis was reaching with both hands to undo the tie.

The prince's long hair cascaded down in loose curls, framing his face. Now he was perfect. And even more beautiful, but he was too concealed for Louis to really see. Still, Louis couldn't stop his fingers from brushing down through the curls, so soft to the touch. Harry couldn't really see, because of the sunglasses, so he removed them with one hand. After blinking a few times, his bright green eyes settled right into Louis' blue ones.

They were so close, not even a foot of air between them. Neither were sure who the heartbeats they were hearing belonged to, just that they were so loud and fast.

"Better?" Harry asked, barely above a whisper for fear of his voice cracking in his excitement.

Louis' reply came in the form of him slowly pulling the scarf down so it was around the prince's neck. Harry's plump lips were parted and pretty, and Louis swallowed a lump in his throat. "Yeah, yeah better."

It only takes a single moment for Harry's brain to go into hyper drive with emotions. He wants to kiss Louis, so fucking bad that it hurts. And his chance is right here, and right now, because he's so close to Louis, and Louis is so pretty. There's a strained desperate sparkle in Louis' eyes that's begging, Harry knows it is, for him to close the space, to fit their lips together. Harry's never felt it this clear or this drastically needy before.

All the looks they've given each other, all the touches they mad, and Louis is here almost in Harry's lap... so why not?

As Louis slides his hands down, Harry grabs them when they are over his chest and he goes for it. Before he or Louis can take an out, Harry leans in and kisses him.

A million thoughts stream through Louis' mind as they kissed. Like how, _holy shit I'm kissing a fucking prince_ , or _this is so, so wrong, he's just a job_. Mostly his mind was a big swarm of how soft Harry's lips were, and how warm his tongue was once it slipped inside. He gasped into it, and relaxed his hands against Harry's  chest.

Harry's hands found their way to Louis' sides, tugging him forward by his hips, and gently forcing him to sit over Harry's lap. The strength to lift Louis and move him however he wanted was so hot, Louis whined as he pulled back for air.

The prince didn't give him much of a break, however, since he heaved them both up and rolled over so Louis was pushed onto his back on the bed. They kissed again and again, finally feeling the sparks that had been building since Harry woke up.

It was stopped suddenly, when Louis felt Harry press a few of his fingers under the hem of his shirt. Harry was trying to pull it up, but Louis pushed up on his shoulders instead, forcing the kiss they'd been unknowingly waiting for to end.

"Stop, s-sorry." Louis stuttered as he scrambled to get out from under Harry. The room was so bright all of a sudden, Louis could see things so clearly, and if he let Harry keep going then the prince would have seen... he would have at least felt... _Oh god, what am I doing?_ Louis almost fell off the bed in his haste to cease their touching. "Y-you should, um, keep packing or whatever, sorry. I-I'm going to the ship--"

"Louis--?"

"Keep the disguise." Louis continued, rapid heartbeat clogging up his ears. "Hair down is--looks better--sorry."

And with that Louis ran out as fast as he could. he got to the Donny, but stopped before going inside. He needed to compose himself before facing the rest of their company, and possibly some humiliation.

This has never happened before, a kiss as intense and as wanted as that. As much as it scared Louis, he also knew a part of him, a part that was winning the moral argument in his mind, wanted it to happen again.


	7. In the Bar at the Back of the Hall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> star was fans will looooooooove this chapter ;)
> 
> Chapter title from [You by The 1975](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsGp64w3XsA)

You could say Louis avoided Harry for most of the journey to Tattooine... you could say that and be completely right.

They hadn't been alone since Louis ran out from their kiss, too many questions going through his mind. Questions like; _why the fuck did a prince kiss me? Is he really attracted to me, or was that some celebration for his family? How does he keep his lips so soft?_ It was all so confusing, and sort of wonderful, especially when Louis thought about Harry's hands on him. They were so big and calloused, so rough to feel but held him gently.

_Good God, get a grip Tomlinson_.

And the thing is, Louis knows he's acting strange. He's laughing far too loud at Niall's terrible jokes, cuddling up to Zayn a bit closer, and he won't even look at Liam. They don't say anything, Niall and Zayn because they don't know Louis enough to find this behavior strange, and Liam because he doesn't want to embarrass Louis. Then there's fucking Harry, who acts like a perfectly normal person around everyone else, but is sulking whenever Louis catches him alone. It's maddening that Harry seems just as confused as Louis does about the whole thing, when it was the prince who instigated the kiss. Did he really think Louis would just fall into his arms from one kiss?

Okay, Louis was pretty close to giving in and doing whatever Harry wanted, but then Harry had to go and ruin it by almost touching Louis' back in the  bright lights. Louis doesn't usually have sex with the lights on, because then people will see it, Harry would see the disgusting scar on his back.

The trip went over night, and of course Louis is the one to volunteer for nighttime pilot duty. He was going to be on the top level anyway for his bunk, and if Liam volunteered, Louis would have gotten the third degree. So, he made sure everyone was at least in their bunks, curtains closed, before taking his pilot's seat and setting the ship off autopilot.

They were out of hyperspace during the night, figure it would be safer this way, and all Louis could see was a black vast space, with millions of stars. There were constellations he couldn't even begin to decipher, all belonging to other planets. Some even saw the same patterns but didn't know, and gave them different names. Balls of fire and gas that brought so many meanings to so many people. They're a lot like people, except generally every star gets special treatment just for shining. Some people never get that.

"Hey Louis--"

"Jesus Christ!" Louis startled, practically jumping out of his seat. He clutched a hand to his chest and looked over his shoulder, right at Prince Harry. "Harry what the fuck? Do you not make noise when you walk?"

"Sorry," Harry whispered, sitting in the co-pilot seat. He didn't even look tired, like he slept fine and only woke up to see Louis. "What are you doing?"

Having an existential crisis, the usual. "Nothing, flying the ship."

"Right, obviously," Harry said. He looked embarrassed, which again, what the hell? "Listen about what happened on Naboo, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, or if you felt, like, forced into--"

"'S fine Harry," Louis said quickly. He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the navigation screen. "Well," Louis cleared his throat as his hands went tight on the controls. "Well, I am wondering _why_ you kissed me."

Harry bit into his lip nervously. How was he going to put all of his feelings and confusion into words? "Um, I mean, I wanted to. I was so happy about my family and... and you were _right_ there."

Louis frowned. "You kissed me because I was there? So, if Liam was there, you would have kissed him?"

" _No_ , no, no, no, no. Damn, everything I say comes out wrong around you." Harry groaned. Harry gripped one of Louis' thighs to make him look over, and it did not slip his mind how thick it was. "Louis, what I was saying was that I wanted to kiss you even when you caught me from that ledge."

Louis started to blush. "Oh."

"Yeah," Harry continued. "I think in that moment I was sort of overwhelmed with you saving my life, and the fact that you are... very beautiful... probably had something to do with it. But, then I had this dream--and when I woke up I figured the while 'hero complex' would die down." He laughed nervously. "And it did, but I was still attracted to you and--yeah, I wanted to kiss you."

"For a prince you aren't very eloquent." Louis said trying to lighten the mood, but his voice was shaky. He isn't exactly used to declarations of attraction like this. Usually the men he's with show him, rather than tell him, but Louis likes the telling.

"You're very pretty for a rugged, tough skinned bounty hunter." Harry said, smirking at the soft laugh he earned from Louis.

"Sorry I ran out," Louis said. "There was just no warning and then you--" He stopped, because if he told Harry why he ran, then he'd have to tell him more than he's willing. "You just caught me off guard, is all. But I didn't feel forced, I might have wanted to kiss you too."

Harry's smirk grew into a satisfied grin. "Oh really?"

"Slow your roll Prince Charming." Louis chuckled nudging Harry's hand off his thigh when the prince moved in closer. "I'm trying to fly a ship here, don't have time to kiss you again."

"Sorry, sorry." Harry said with a laugh, leaning his back against the chair. "I'm taking this to mean we will kiss again?"

"Maybe." Louis hummed. He so wasn't used to this. He didn't even know where the words he was saying were coming from. It was just so strange to have someone talk to him like this. So much better than a heated fuck where barely names get exchanged.

+

Tattooine isn't the fanciest place to be, what with it mostly being a giant desert, with a few beachy coast lines. The people are nice though, always willing to offer hospitality to anyone who needs it. Although there is plenty of criminal activity, most of the main cities aren't that bad. Especially the capitol city, where Yondu lives because of the many entertainment sites.

The group arrived for the busiest tourist season on the planet, the annual pod race championships. It was a three week long tournament, where the best of the best racers gathered to compete for a price. The earnings of the prize varied from year to year, and this year the winner would get one hundred thousand units.

When Yondu first purchased the track, Louis started racing during breaks between jobs. He never competed in the championship, even though Yondu, and a lot of others, wanted him too. Louis was always more interested in his job to compete for real.

They landed in a private section of Yondu's home, with Louis' dad waiting outside for them. Almost a second after Louis stepped out he was pulled into a very tight hug.

"My boy!" Yondu said in his American cowboy voice. "Good to see you Kiddo. Wish it was under better circumstances, but I'll take my visits where I can get 'em."

"Good to see you too, Dad." Louis said, eyes softening. "How's the tournament going so far?"

"Enterin' into the final week, so you know people'll be gettin' jazzed up. Best time really for y'all to hide here." Yondu said, clapping Louis on the back gently. "Now, who else we got with us? Your message didn't say too much."

The other men filed off the ship, with Liam in front, and Louis started the introductions. "You know Liam, of course."

"Good to see you again Yondu." Liam said, shaking the blue man's hand.

"My, my, haven't seen you since the weddin'." Yondu replied with a crooked smile. "How's the family?"

"Very good, I shall show you pictures once we have settled in."

"Wonderful, wonderful, and who do we have here?" Yondu asked when he saw the two new bounty hunters.

"Ah, new friends, and fans of yours." Louis said. "They were hired by the King and Queen. Niall Horan and Zayn Malik."

Niall was so jittery as he walked up to Yondu and shook his hand. "Wow, I mean _shit_. I still can't believe we're meeting you. This really is an honor."

"You boys are pretty well known around our parts." Yondu said. Niall almost fainted, Louis was sure. "I'm gonna need to hear plenty of stories from you later."

"You, of course." Niall stammered, still feeling star struck. Zayn had to nudge the green man out of the way to get to Yondu. "Oh, um this is Zayn."

"What a gorgeous person you are!" Yondu chuckled. "What kind of parts are you from? One of the forest moons?"

"No idea, actually." Zayn said with a shrug.

"A mystery? Always liked a good mystery." Yondu said, he looked over Zayn's shoulder to Harry, who was already in disguise. "Is this?"

Louis nodded. "Yeah, we should go inside now."

"Right, 'course." Yondu waved a hand over to Harry, gesturing for the prince to follow him. "I got somethin' for yah."

They walked a little faster into Yondu's midsize villa, locking the door behind once they entered. He kept his home relatively clean, especially since Louis wasn't there to leave a mess anymore. There were a few abstract paintings hung up, gifts from past clients, and glass cases with trophies Yondu took from old jobs. It certainly wasn't what you expect from a Cowboy-like retired Bounty Hunter, but Yondu enjoyed his little knickknacks. Sadly, Louis hadn't thought to bring anything back for him this time.

They stopped in the kitchen, where a servant droid offered drinks to everyone while Yondu shuffled through one of the drawers. "Aha! Here it is! Prince Harry, this here is some false identification for yah."

He tossed a small yellow envelope to Harry, which held a new ID. "Edward Williams... my middle name? You sure that won't be too obvious?"

Yondu laughed, "You greatly over estimate the caliber of criminal we have here."

"I'm more worried about the criminals from other places that might show up here." Harry said nervously.

"Don't gotta worry about that." Yondu assured him. "Got all kind of spies in the city. Anyone from Coruscant shows up, I'll know in seconds."

"I told you," Louis said proudly. "Yondu has all kinds of loyal followers here."

Harry sent him a toothy smile, that made Louis blush just the tiniest bit. "Guess you were right. Not a bad name anyway, but where does the William come from?"

"That is Louis' middle name." Liam said. He was so smug right now, being the only one who ever felt the growing tension between Harry and Louis. Maybe he really wanted his friend to find some happiness in the Prince.

"William? Sounds royal." Harry smirked.

Louis bit his bottom lip to hold down his smile. "It's really not, but thanks... I guess."

_He could be royalty though_ , Harry thought. Louis knew how to carry himself and how to talk to people, in a way that Harry only learned by being trained. Not to mention Louis' regal features, like a prince from the old legends. Effortlessly beautiful.

"Practically is royalty here." Niall spoke up after chugging his entire drink. Zayn shook his head at that. "Surprised the people haven't just given you a monarchy over whatever government there is."

"You a cheeky little bugger." Yondu chuckled, patting Niall's back. "I just bring in the tourists and the money. Wouldn' know the first thin' about runnin' a planet." He clapped his hands together once, looking excitedly around the room. "Now, I know y'all just got here, but how's about we take a little trip to the track? Watch the first race of the day?"

They all agreed ecstatically, nodding and clapping. Niall looked about ready to cheer from the rooftops, because he's always wanted to meet Yondu, and now he gets to go to a race with him. "This is the best job we're ever taken, Twiggy."

Zayn threw an arm around Niall's shoulders. "I'll say."

There was a second where Louis thought Zayn was going to plant a kiss on Niall's cheek, but the second passed, when Yondu spoke again. "Go ahead and follow the droid out to the front and we'll head on over. Louis, hang back a mo'."

Louis stayed in the back of the group with Yondu, while the others followed the droid out and gave them some privacy. Louis crossed his arms and smiled sheepishly at Yondu. "I know, I know. I haven't visited in a while, and now I'm smuggling in a prince."

Yondu started chuckling, grabbing gently at Louis' shoulders. "Kiddo, I'm not surprised by that at all. But don't think I didn't notice those sweet little smiles between you two."

Louis' eyes widened as he started to stammer, "I-I don't--what smiles?"

"Lou, you are the least subtle person when it comes to shit like this." Yondu said fondly, squeezing his shoulders. "And it sure looks like that Prince ain't any better. Whatever's goin' on there looks to make you plenty happy."

" _Dad_ ," Louis groaned. He shook Yondu's hands off, definitely not planning on mentioning the kiss to him. Nor the almost promise of another. "There's nothing going on. He's just... a gentleman is all."

"Just a gentleman my sweet blue ass." Yondu scoffed. "When's the last time you dated anyway?"

"Oh my _god_ ," Louis groaned even louder, covering his face with his hands. "Weren't you the one who taught me to never sleep with a mark?"

"Yeah if it's a criminal. Which, if I recall right, you didn't heed much warnin' to anyway." Yondu said pointedly.

" _One_ time, honestly. It happens one time--"

"Besides, like you said, he's a gentleman. A prince!" Yondu continued. "All I'm sayin' is, he looks to be pretty interested in you, and you won't have to send him to jail... hopefully."

"Dad," Louis rolled his eyes. "It's all just a bit of fun."

"Sure, Kiddo, sure." Yondu continued to chuckle, knowing just how much he was annoying Louis. He clapped Louis on the back and walked him out to the rest of the group. "Let's head on over to the track."

+

They watched the first race in Yondu's private balcony, along with a full arena of cheering crowds. Most of the track couldn't be seen in the arena, so they were looking up at a jumbo screen for  a lot of it. The favorite ended up losing by only seconds, but it won Niall a bit of money.

There weren't a lot of rules to the races. You couldn't have guns on your pods off the track, even knock into them if you wanted. It was a dangerous sport and at least one amateur died every year, but the people loved it. Yondu loved it, because it was the closest he got to real action in years. Part of the reason he was so willing to hide Prince Harry, was so he could feel like he was back on the job. Louis knew that, and he felt a little bad for forcing Yondu into retirement, but he was only looking out for his life.

"...and did you see when greenie just barreled into the pillar? Out of fucking nowhere!" Niall cheered, recounting the previous race. "Damn that was great! I'm jealous you get to regulate this kind of thing."

Louis, who was sitting on Yondu's left side, shook his head. "You should see him at finals. One year Dad got so drunk, he went out and raised the flags himself. He stood there, bottle of hard liquor in one hand, green flag in the other, waving and shouting. All the pods flying about in a panic, trying not to hit him!"

They burst out laughing, even Liam giggled, at Louis' story, and Niall continued to ask a bunch of questions about the track and racing. Yondu went off into a lot of stories, a few just getting started, a few of his own races in his younger years, and of course a few about Louis. "He was a natural! First time he won a race was one of the proudest moments of my life. He ain't never lost, got a better record than myself. Just wish he entered a championship, even once."

This guilt tripping about the championships happened every year. He was so proud of Louis for following in his footsteps and taking over the Bounty Hunter mantle, but Yondu would have preferred it if Louis was just a racer. "I make more with my current job than any other champion has yet. Not like it's safer either way."

Harry frowned under the scarf, both from the mention of the current "job", being him, and Louis saying being racer is just as dangerous as what he actually does. "This doesn't seem that bad. Your actual occupation feels about as dangerous as the army. This is just a sport."

"People die here Harry." Louis said, turning to smirk at Harry and Liam behind him. "If you're as good as I am at my occupation, then it's not that dangerous."

"Oh I'm sure you're very good." Harry quipped, returning a hidden grin to Louis. The man's eyes are sparkling at Harry, in a way the prince has never seen. Like starlight. "Doesn't mean it's safer than a pod race."

"Like you could get far in this, Prince Harry." Niall challenged. As usual, he was the only one to remain completely oblivious to the energy between Harry and Louis. "Goody-two-shoes soldier like yourself."

Harry scoffed, crossing his arms. "I'll have you know, that as a navigator, I'm trained to fly all sorts of different ships. A pod can't be too difficult."

Niall started whistling while Louis just shook his head and laughed. "Oh really? All of what looks so easy to you?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Great, look what you started Ni," Zayn sighed.

"This isn't like flying a military grade ship in the vast emptiness of space. You have to stay in boundaries and avoid other ships and obstacles." Louis challenged, standing up with his hands on his hips.

He looked really cute getting all riled up at Harry, so much that it was hard for the Prince to not start laughing. "That's all great, but I still think I could do it."

"Well alright." Louis said, pursing his lips tightly. "Prove it."

Liam frowned cautiously, "Louis..."

"What Liam? Prince Charming thinks he's hot shit. I need to defend my sport. And my title." Louis said, flashing a grin at his friend. "What do you say Yondu? Wanna set up a little non-betting race for us?"

"I think you can squeeze in between the afternoon and night races." Yondu said, throwing his hands behind his head. "Anythin' to see my boy kick a royal's butt."

"We'll see about that." Harry responded, voice full of fond.

"This is so exciting," Niall said, almost shaking out of his own skin with the anticipation.

"Calm down Nialler, you'll shake out of the balcony." Zayn said, grabbing Niall's shoulders and squeezing.

"I do not think this is a good idea. Prince Harry should not be putting himself in the spotlight." Liam said, concerned at how little they seemed to care about the delicate situation they are in.

"Nonsense Mr. Payne." Yondu said. "Let the boys have a bit o' fun. Poor Prince Harry's been locked up and barred from his home. You all need to loosen up."

"What are our terms going to be?" Harry asked.

"I said it was a non-betting race." Louis responded, eyebrow raised.

"Aw, you really think I'm just going to enter into such a _dangerous_ challenge without a proper prize?" Harry cooed, hand reaching up to one of Louis' arms.

Niall clapped his hands together when he got an idea, "There's a club in town yeah? We can all go out tonight, and _loser_ picks up the tab."

"A club Ni, really?" Zayn asked, resting his chin on top of Niall's head. "Do we just not care about staying hidden anymore, or?"

"Of course we do," Niall said. "But it'll be a dark club, and we've got a fake name for Harry, and it'll be fun. Come _on_ Twiggy. Don't you wanna go dancing?"

"You just want to drink."

"That too." Niall looked up at Louis and Harry. "Those sound like good terms?"

Harry shrugged. He could think of a few other terms, that only involved Louis, that he wouldn't mind collecting after a win. He didn't think it would be very appropriate to ask for any of these terms in front of the rest of the group. "Sure, if Louis' up for it."

"Bring it on Ha--Edward." Louis said confidently, shaking Harry's hand in agreement. "Just remember, I never lose."

"There's a first time for everything, _Starlight_." Harry said with a smirk. Niall started whistling when they shook hands, the excitement making him a bit crazy. None of them even commented on the new pet name the prince gave Louis. "I'm guessing you can help us find some extra pod racers somewhere, Yondu?"

"Always extras in the garage 'case a contestant has technical issues." Yondu told him. "Louis can show you the way, and I'll get y'all a race slot."

Harry followed Louis and Yondu out of the private box and walked just a little bit closer to Louis' side than normal as they made their way to the garage. He saw Yondu make a smug face at them out of the corner of his eye before he walked out of sight. It was a little funny, but Harry didn't know what it meant.

When nobody was left to see them together, Harry grabbed Louis' small, soft hand and mumbled, "I want to add something to the terms of the bet. Something just for the two of us."

Louis quirked an eyebrow at him, "Oh? And what would that be?"

"If I win..." Harry started before he paused to take a quick glance down at Louis' lips, "I want that next kiss."

Louis' mouth dropped open, and he unintentionally squeezed Harry's hand harder. He was at a loss for words, but then again, he wouldn't mind secretly adding this to the terms. "Okay, deal."

"Perfect."

+

"Ladies and Gentleman and Everyone in-between! I, Yondu Udonta, your very gracious host, have a special announcement! My son, former undefeated racer at this here track has graced me with a visit for the final week of the tournament!"

The crowd cheered at the announcement, and Louis couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed as he walked out to his borrowed pod. He waved up at them cameras and closer rows, especially the kids he could see. He was pretty sure he saw a couple people faint, which was a little unnerving. He wasn't all that special.

"And as an even better surprise for y'all, Louis has agreed to partake in a special race just for pure entertainment." Even more cheers. "There will be no betting on this, just a display of skill. His competitor is an old friend from the Second Quadrant, Edward Williams!"

There was murmuring from the crowd now, because they didn't know who this mystery friend was. But when Harry walked out next to his pod, in a new outfit he borrowed just for the race, that showed off his defined arms, thousands of screams could be heard. He already had a black helmet on to cover up his face so there was no chance of recognizing him, but damn. Louis knew what was under there. And now he was just getting another nice view of Harry's body.

It wasn't fair how hot the prince was. And now Louis was racing him in front of all these people, all for drinks and possibly a kiss. But Louis was so confident he would win. Harry was new and Louis always won.

They each stepped into their pods, Harry saluted Louis, which, considering he was a soldier, only made Louis think he was cuter. Louis wiggled his fingers back and closed the hatch over his race pod.

He took a deep breath and waited for the ref to wave the green flag. He wasn't nervous at all.

Then the flag was waving and they were off. Louis was ahead first, of course, and he drowned out the cheers from everyone with his focus. He knew this track, and Harry only had a few minutes before the race to check out the map. But he was still an experienced navigator, who could probably get around the obstacles with ease.

The first sharp turn came up and Louis flew his ship straight up and then around, a trick he learned to make the turn easier. He could see on his screen that Harry had to slow down around the turn to not crash. Louis was starting to feel a little cocky  now.

The track looked like giant desert rocks, and parts of it even moved, because it was built right into the ground, and Harry wasn't used to flying in these conditions. He picked it all up quickly though, maneuvering his way in and out of the rock formations. Louis was ahead my only meters, and Harry was coming up fast.

With only a second to survey his surroundings, Harry's eyes caught a small tunnel in the wall on  their left. Louis wasn't going near it, so maybe it was dangerous, or maybe it was a new addition and he didn't know about it. Either way, this was about showing off to Louis, Harry knew that. And what better way to do that than to risk his life in a darkened tunnel?

He pulled up on the gears and sped up over Louis, and it must have scared the other man, because his pod shook to side. He still had it under control and was still going forward, so Harry kept flying to the tunnel. And it was darker, but the navigation screen showed Harry everything he needed to see. It was pretty much a straight shot, and if he went fast enough, he would come out on the other side right in front of Louis.

"Where the fuck did he go?" Louis asked himself as he looked at the tracker. Harry's ship wasn't even showing up... which, _shit,_ did Louis already get him killed? "Fuck. Maybe I should--"

But before Louis could even finish his thought, Harry's pod was swirling out in front of him. The prince barreled right out of a random tunnel, upside down, and now he was winning. Louis honestly couldn't believe his eyes.

Harry was... he was amazing at this. Truly meant to be flying. Louis almost didn't even see a thin rock formation ahead of him because he was so distracted. He swerved around it and looked up at Harry, darting in and out of the walls and rocks like he was walking. Like this pod, that he was only flying for the first time was an extension of himself. Louis really never saw anything as graceful as this.

Louis wasn't even trying by the time they got to the finish line. He didn't want to go down easy, so he sped up and was neck and neck with the prince, but Harry veered right into him and pulled ahead. Louis spun out, and by the time he got control again, Harry had already won.

Screw his perfect record. Louis was just in awe of Harry's flying. He wished he hadn't even raced him so he could have sat in the crowd and watched. Yondu's voice was making some sort of announcement about the winner to everyone, but they were shouting and cheering and clapping way too loud for Louis to hear. And honestly, all Louis could think about was Harry. He flew with such precision, such ballerina grace and accuracy...

They slowed their pods down and Louis had to just sit in his for a few minutes, while he watched Prince Harry exit his pod and wave excitedly to the crowd. Louis is pretty sure he could hear Niall above everyone, but that's probably because he was really close to Yondu's microphone.

As if in a trance, Louis quickly left his own pod, ignoring the jeers and cries of pity from the audience directed at him, for his first ever loss. Again, Louis really didn't care after getting to see that. He moved with vigor, pushing past various people so he could catch up with Harry in the garage. It was Yondu's personal garage, so Harry was going onto the Donny to change, and Louis followed him.

He saw Harry secretly changing back into his other disguise in a covered up section by the ship. Louis didn't stop the movement of his feet as he approached the prince.

Harry looked up in time to see Louis walking forward and staring at him, both stunned and with determination. "Well then, Starl--"

Before Harry could finish whatever he was going to say, Louis really didn't care, he felt hypnotized, the man grabbed Harry by the shoulders and pulled him into a desperate kiss. It was nice to have Louis initiate it this time, as Harry moaned into his mouth and grabbed the man's hips.

But soon enough Harry was pushing Louis roughly against the outside wall of the Donny, pressing his hips into him. He licked into Louis' mouth with ease as their kiss mutually deepened. It was sloppy and hot and they could feel the adrenaline from the race controlling both of them.

Until Harry heard Louis whimper, and he could feel him start to harden between them, and the prince just had to stop it. Nothing more could happen right now. He pulled back, much to Louis' chagrin, and ran his hands up Louis' chest and to his cheeks, thumb swiping across Louis' lip. _Shit, that was so much better than last time_ , Harry's mind thought as he pushed himself off of the wall.

He smiled at Louis, who was looking still stunned and turned on and a bit dazed, and held his hand for Louis to hold. "Come on Starlight. Drinks are on you, yeah?"

Louis' fingers were lightly touching his lips, and he glanced at the ground, like he couldn't believe he'd just done that. But he was quick to shake himself out of it and meet Harry's eyes with a smirk. He slipped his hand into that of the prince, "Sure thing, Prince Charming."

+

The club was crowded with dancing, sweaty bodies packed in to the brim. The techno music was bursting through the speakers while laser lights and black lights shined along with the beat. There was a mist going through the air at random intervals to cool the club-goers off and keep them drinking and dancing.

The five travelers started their night at the bar, downing shots on Louis' tab. Harry kept a steady hand on Louis' lower back, wanting nothing more than to keep touching Louis, especially after their encounter in the garage. Neither would forget how good it felt to be pressed against each other, high on leftover adrenaline from their race. He wanted to feel Louis' body on him always.

After a couple of rounds, enough to get them properly buzzed, Louis slipped away, and was lost on the dance floor. He didn't mean to separate from them, but he wanted to _dance_ , and it was too loud to ask them to join. He figured they would just follow, but they couldn't see him. He found a partner pretty quickly, however, and as they danced Louis decided not to worry about his friends.

Harry watched Louis leave and disappear, even tried to follow him, because he'd love to dance with Louis. He took a few steps away from the bar, hair bouncing over his eyes, and he turned back to tell the others where he was going. The scarf covering his face was sticking to him from all the sweat and it was getting hard to breathe. He wondered if it was dark enough to at least slip it down his neck. If he kept his head down, there was no way this drunken crowd would recognize him.

They didn't have parties or clubs like this on Xandar. Or maybe they did and Harry just never knew about them. Being a prince he was used to high society parties, with fancy dress, ballroom dancing, and expensive variations of alcohol. He always found it a bit pretentious, but the people were nice and still made it all fun. This club was quite intimidating.

He looked over at the bar, where Niall was loudly shouting some story, hanging practically all of his limbs off of Zayn. He looked flushed over his green cheeks, and Zayn was smiling so damned fondly, so damned in love. Liam had an elbow up on the bar, and was resting his head in his hand. He sipped a fruity orange drink and watched the almost couple with a grin.

Harry looked back at the dancers, and even though he was pretty tall, it still took standing on his toes in order to see Louis. And boy did Harry not like what he saw.

There's no reason Harry should be jealous. Louis isn't his and he isn't Louis', and a few kisses doesn't change that. But watching Louis dance with some muscled, blue-skinned bonehead really stung Harry's veins. It should be him dancing with Louis.

And it would be, as soon as Harry could get through the crowd. His eyes never left Louis as he pushed through the people. None of them minded, or noticed, that Harry was knocking them out of his way. His jaw clenched as he watched Louis' dance partner try to slip his hands up Louis' shirt, only to have Louis force them back down.

Harry was right on them now, he could see Louis struggling against his partner. Harry grabbed Louis by his shirt and pulled him forward. Wrapping his long arms around Louis' waist, Harry glared at the previous partner, who just shrugged and walked away.

"Thanks Prince Charming." Louis said with a dopey smile, just loud enough for Harry to hear over the music. "Almost had tah start a bar fight."

Harry let out a breathless laugh, "That would've put a damper on the night."

"I didn't he hear any o' that!" Louis shouted. He was sparkly and giggly, more drunk than Harry originally thought. It was incredibly cute. "Dance with me Prince Charming!"

Harry just smiled along and nodded his head, doing his best to move along with Louis. He was so smooth with his dancing, swaying in just the right way, hands crossed loosely behind Harry's neck. Until he turned around and pushed his perfect firm arse into Harry's crotch, grinding up against the prince to the beat.

Harry's never danced like this before. Never so close and so hot against someone. It was filthy like great sex, their wet-with-sweat clothes sticking to each other. He couldn't help but moan, right into Louis' neck, when the man rolled his hips back particularly hard. Harry's hands grabbed tight onto Louis' sides, pulling him so his back was completely against Harry's front.

Then Louis reached back with one hand, clutching tightly onto Harry's neck, while the other lay over one of Harry's hands on his waist. They were close enough to hear the small moans and whimpers escaping each of their mouths, Louis' higher than Harry's. He's blinking up at the prince, at his mouth, lips parted with pleasure, and up to his eyes, more blown out black than green.

There's no doubt in Louis' drunken mind that he wants to kiss Harry, he wants to be completely filthy with him. Louis, in this moment, wouldn't mind turning around, jumping into Prince Harry's arms, and snogging him like a slut for all these strangers to watch. He won't do it, but he also won't deny himself the sweet taste of Harry's lips.

His hand slips down to the scarf around Harry's neck, and he tugs down, forcing Harry to bend closer to Louis' face. Louis can think of a million things he wants to do to this pretty prince. And even more he'd love Harry to do to him. Not a lot of these things are decent enough for public, but kissing certainly is.

This time. surprisingly, their kiss was slow. Maybe it was the sudden change in music to a slow-paced, sultry song, but when Louis kissed Harry this time he paused at the first touch. He took a moment to lick across Harry's plump bottom lip, before nipping at it with his teeth. Their lips molded together as Louis turned his body around. He was up on his toes to be level with Harry, and his hands held tightly at the prince's neck.

Louis gasped a bit when he felt Harry slip a hand down to grope at his arse, the other pressing into his lower back. His hands were so big, so perfectly sized to hold Louis. And maybe it was because they were a little drunk, but both of them thought this was their best kiss yet.

Harry groaned when Louis slipped his tongue inside his mouth, suckling on it before pulling back. "Gods Lou--"

"Ah, ah, no talkin'," Louis hissed. "Just kissin'."

Prince Harry cold deal with that, diving back in and kissing Louis for all he was worth. Louis is worth so much. Harry's arms locked behind Louis' small back, lifting him just the slightest so his toes barely touched the ground. It made Louis' breath hitch and Harry felt him smile.

This would be so much fun.

+

One second Harry and Louis were on the dance floor, kissing in the middle of all those people, and Prince Harry could swear they didn't leave that spot.

But next thing he knew, he had Louis pressed to the door of the inside of a dirty bathroom stall. His tongue was still in Louis' mouth, his hands were still around Louis' waist, but now he could perfectly hear the desperately little noises Louis was making for him.

They're both so hard, Harry knew he'd been hard since their dancing session, and Louis was grinding down on Harry's thigh. The music and people were muffled through the thick bathroom walls, and it's only them. The world felt like it was only them, touching and breathing and trying to drunkenly get off.

_Oh gods we're so drunk_ , Harry thought. He didn't stop anything, though, because as he pulled back, he could see something new in Louis' eyes. Something small, something vulnerable, like he's on the edge of coming, but not quite. it's not what Louis felt close to doing, although that may happen soon.

The look in his eyes still twinkles like starlight, but it's darker now, Harry thought, it's desperate for a little something more.

And it made something inside Harry click together, and now Harry wanted to guide Louis to the place he's inaudibly begging to go Harry didn't understand any of these feelings really, but for Louis he'd do anything.

His soft voice whispered, "How do you feel Lou?"

"I-I," He stopped suddenly, eyes widening, as if he didn't expect Harry to say anything.

"Come on Starlight, it would make me so happy to know how good you feel." Harry cooed, lips trailing close to Louis' neck. He started moving his leg against Louis' hardened cock, stuck inside the tight pants. "Don't you want to make me happy?"

" _Yes_ ," Louis whined, almost embarrassingly fast.

At least it would have been if Louis wasn't so turned on. He was falling into a mindset he'd only let himself feel with maybe two past partners. He trusted Harry, even though he still barely knew him, he trusted him enough to take care of him. Louis released small, high pitched breaths as Harry's darkened eyes bore down on him, waiting for an answer. There was a drop of sweat sliding down Harry's pink neck, and Louis leaned up to lick it away.

"Lou," Harry groaned. "Sweet Lou, tell me how you feel."

The more stern intonation in Harry's voice took Louis back, and he grinded down even harder onto the prince's leg. " _Good_ , Harry. So good."

"Like you're gonna come?"

Louis couldn't take it much longer, he knew it, and when Harry asked he knew his dick started to ache. " _Harry_ I--"

And then Harry said it, "You can--you can come if you want to." Which, okay Louis really was so hard it hurt, and now Harry's low voice was saying this, but it was all the more worse when the prince kept going. " _Yeah_ , come like this Louis. With me against you, in this dirty club bathroom, come in your pants. Be so filthy, but it'll be so fucking beautiful."

It was entirely the opposite of fair that Prince Harry could do this. That Harry could take Louis completely apart with his words. Such dirty words. But just as Louis' head fell back with the pleasure he was feeling, Harry reached a hand down and palmed Louis. He pressed against Louis' dick and rubbed until Louis' body jerked up with a gasp. "Ah-- _oh_."

Prince Harry felt Louis tense and come, dampening his pants where Harry held him. It was such a pretty sight to see, and the prince felt his own cock twitch in his pants, "Beautiful, beautiful boy."

When Louis' breathing slowed down enough, he started to feel the yucky, sticky mess he made in his pants and groaned. Louis just knew Harry was smirking at him, at what he made him do, "'M older than you."

Harry chuckled, kissing Louis' forehead. "I know love."

Louis glanced down and could see that Harry was still hard, thick bulge pressing against his pants. Louis swallowed, blinking down at it a few times, before deciding he really, _really_ wanted to get his mouth on the prince. "Can I?"

"You don't have to," Harry said, stepping away.

Louis isn't going to take that answer at all, as he yanked Harry forward and turned his back against the door. "I-I want to."

"Fuck okay," Harry moaned when Louis dropped to his knees. "Make me feel good, Louis."

Louis expertly popped the button of Harry's jeans open, and yanked the zipper down. He only pulled Harry's pants down to his knees, and had to take a moment to fully appreciate how big Harry's cock looked in his briefs. When he pulled the briefs down and Harry's cock slipped out, Louis' eyes almost bugged out of his head. "Holy _shit_."

"What?" harry asked, voice laced with sudden concern. "You--you've done this before, yeah?"

"Don't get too full of yourself," Louis said with a roll of his eyes. He felt so buzzed. "'Ve sucked plenty of dicks in my time. Jealous?"

Harry smirked, reaching a hand down to Louis' cheeks and swiping his thumb across Louis' kiss-swollen bottom lip. "I'll be jealous of any man who's felt your beautiful mouth around him."

_Dear god is he really going to wax poetic about a blow job?_ Louis thought. "Oh whatever, you're just... big is all."

Harry pouted, looking down at his hard cock. He never thought about it, really, and none of his past partners said that to him. "'M average on Xandar, Starlight."

Louis scoffed. He's been with enough men on Xandar to know the average is about 8 inches. There is no way Harry is any less than 9... maybe even 10. It's ridiculous how big he is. "Well. It's not the average on my home planet, so bare with me if I'm struggling."

"Take as much as you can, love." Harry said smoothly. He ran his hand up into Louis' hair, tugging just lightly enough to quicken the man's heartbeat. "I know you'll make me feel good."

Louis could honestly melt right now from Harry's tone. He was gentle, but firm with Louis. Forceful and still encouraging at the same time. Louis felt fluttery inside his tummy, and his eyes closed for a moment while he breathed Harry in. Louis licked over his bottom lip, where Harry's thumb had been.

He opened his eyes again, with a new determination to make the prince come. His cock was gorgeous, too, a few shades of pink darker than the rest of his body because it was so hard. There was a small dribble of precum beading up on the tip, and Louis darted his tongue out to lick at it. Harry groaned at the contact, hand going tighter on Louis' hair, but he wasn't pushing him down, just holding him. Louis opened wide, taking only the head in and sucking lightly, licking around.

" _Gods_ , that's nice Louis." Harry moaned, head falling back against the stall. He panted when Louis took him further, staring up at the graffiti covered ceiling. "So good."

There was no way Louis would be able to take Harry all the way, not at Harry's size. But the way Harry was praising him, really made Louis want to try. So he took a deep breath, relaxed his throat, and started to sink down on Harry's cock. He made it only six inches before he panicked and choked, pulling off quickly to cough.

Harry's head snapped back down when he heard Louis choke, and he felt bad for how hot the noise sounded. "Oh baby, don't hurt yourself."

_God_ , Louis was so gone for him right now. "Sorry, just want to be good."

"You are Louis, you are good." Harry assured him, petting through his hair. He didn't want Louis to do anything too rough tonight, not while they were both too drunk to talk about it. "Use your hand if you need."

"Yes Pr--okay," For a moment Louis almost gave in completely. He was quick to snap back into reality, though, because it was too soon to feel this way. Harry brought out the side of Louis wanted to please. He wanted to know he was making the prince happy.

He spit into his palm to slick it up, then started stroking up and down the base of Harry's dick. His mouth went back around the tip, sucking as he began to bob his head up and down. his hand moved in time along with his mouth, pausing when he pulled off to lick up the shaft a few times.

Harry was grunting and moaning above him, fingers tensing and tugging at Louis' hair. It only made Louis feel good, though, and he sucked harder when Harry pulled especially rough. The sheer pleasure Louis was giving Prince Harry was driving him closer to orgasm.

Every spasm of Louis' throat sent tingles up Harry's cock and felt so, _so_ amazing. It was such a waste to not be able to see Louis' reactions. So, Harry pulled his head back, and _fuck_ Louis was obscene.

His cheeks were sweaty and flushed, almost as pink as Harry, and his pretty, thin lips were stretched around his thick cock. But Louis' _eyes_ were what did it for Harry. They were sparkling and blue, but red too, rimmed with wet tears, and _shit_ he was wrecked and pliant. Harry could do whatever he wanted at this point.

The very thought made Harry groan out, " _Good_ , very good Louis, _fuck._ " And he pushed Louis down more. Before he knew it, he was coming into that beautiful mouth of Louis'.

Louis pulled off with a pop and licked up a few extra drops. The salty taste made him hum, and his eyes slipped closed as he swallowed. He was panting, head spinning with so many, too many, thoughts. He couldn't even sit up straight, so Louis rested his cheek against the space where Harry's stomach met his thigh, sighing deeply.

His eyes were still teary, and he was still so gentle and soft, and even though his sticky pants were still irritating him, in his mind all he could think was how good he did. _Harry_ told him he was good. Harry let Louis bring him pleasure, and guided him through it. It was so much to take in, how much control Harry had, Louis felt so good, so appreciated. "Th-thank you."

Louis whimpered against Harry's skin, rubbing his cheek into the slick sweat. Harry was enamored with this man. So tough and brave, but so soft in this moment. And he was _thanking_ Harry no less.

Maybe Harry wasn't supposed to hear it. Maybe he wasn't supposed to understand all of this from Louis yet. The implications of what Louis said.

As Harry stared in awe down at this enigma of a man, he could feel something flutter in his heart. Something beginning to stir. There was nothing he could think of to say right now, so he continued to trace at Louis' hair with his hand.

He'll figure this out in the morning, once they'd both slept and sobered up. For now, Harry would just help Louis get clean, and take him back to Yondu's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have an announcement about this fic next week when i post the next chapter...


	8. That Was Hazy Cosmic Jive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all are gonna really like this chapter! merry whatever holiday you celebrate, and happy fuckin' new year :)
> 
> Chapter title from [Starman by David Bowie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRcPA7Fzebw)

When Ashton sent out the message warning Louis to not take Harry to Xandar, he had to sneak out of the safe house to do it. Since the house was part of a NOVA Core facility, Ashton knew all of the secret passageways. He was able to connect to the communications center with a backup generator, but Coruscant was tracking all wave lengths, and they got his location within seconds. He fought a few of them off, having to kill them so they couldn't follow him back to the safe house. But somewhere in the fight, he was shot by an arrow, that was laced with poison.

He miraculously made it back to the safe house, but he was pale and weak. Princess Gemma was the one to find him, just as he'd pulled out the arrow from his side. _"G-Gem."_

_"Ash?" She whispered, she had no idea where'd he'd been, nor how he got covered in blood. "Ashton where did you go? What happened to you?"_

_"Gem, p-please," He collapsed against the wall, sinking to his knees because of how weak he was._

_Gemma gasped and ran to his side, and that's when she saw the wound, and the black poison surrounding it. "Oh gods! Ash what did you do?"_

_"Got... got a message to Louis Tomlinson." He said, coughing when he couldn't breathe. "Told him not to bring Harry home."_

_"Oh gods, we need to get help!" Gemma wrapped her arms around his sides and helped him stand back up. He was wheezing and his eyes rolled back in his head, body turning into dead weight in the princess's arms. "Ash? Stay with me, love, please stay awake! Ashton? Help! Help me!"_

That was days ago, and since then Gemma has been trying to keep Ashton alive. The poison was unfamiliar to Xandarian doctors at first, so they weren't able to cure him. The best they could do was remove as much poison as possible and keep his fever down. Eventually they had to leave him in a sleep state so the effects of the poison would slow, but he was dying.

Princess Gemma stayed by Ashton's side while he slept, wetting his face with a cool towel when he started to sweat.

"Oh Ashton," She sighed as she looked down sadly at her fiancé. "You're so pale my love. I-I'm glad you sent a message to Louis, but damn I wish you'd have been more careful."

When the doctors finally figured out what the poison was, it was bitter sweet. They had remedies to keep Ashton alive, but the only known cure was a flower that grew in only one known place; Osiris, a forest planet that was under the control of Coruscant. With the invasion pulling all of Xandar's forces to the planets, there was no way they would be able to get the flower in time.

"Ashton my love, how are you feeling today?" Gemma asked. He'd woken up so the new remedies could work, but he was still so pale and weak.

"Can't say I feel all that great, but better than the other days." He said with a cracked smile, before he fell into a coughing fit.

Gemma rubbed circles onto his back to calm him while he got his breath back. "The doctors and NOVA Core know where the cure is, Ash. But... but they can't afford to send anyone to retrieve it."

Ashton tensed. He had a feeling they would do that, put the planet's needs over the future Queen and King. He was going to fight back against the poison, he was going to stay strong and alive. Ashton couldn't leave Gemma alone, not while Harry was still missing, wait. "Harry!"

"We haven't heard anything back from him yet." Gemma said, a little confused by the outburst.

"No, that's okay." Hr coughed a few times. "Gem, t-the message I made went through to him. I stayed as long as I did to make sure. The transmission was successful."

"That's great Ash, at least Harry will be safe."

"Yes but Gem, you could send another message to him" Ashton said. "That communication center _works_ , we know it does. You could sneak up and send a message to Harry, tell him where to find the cure and..." His voice trailed off. The idea was fine until he realized that they still didn't have a way to get Harry to them.

"W-we can't bring Harry home. There's no way to get him onto the planet safely." Gemma said. She stood up from the bed and walked over to the window. The view was to the halls of the safe house compound, where other people were constantly walking by. She'd been strong since the beginning of all this, not a single tear shed. But Gemma began to cry, her body shaking as her face fell to her hands. "I-I don't want you to die, Ashton."

" _Princess_." Ashton called, reaching a hand out to her. "I'll hold on Gem, for as long as I can. I refuse to leave you like this."

The princess turned back around, wiping her tears, and slipped her hand into Ashton's. "I'll do it my love. I-I'll send the message. I know you'll hold on for me. M-maybe I can talk to the Generals into infiltrating some of the Coruscant ships. We'll get the cure in here somehow."

+

When Louis woke up in the morning, he was snug in his bed at Yondu's, with an extra blanket over his body. He was also wearing different clothes from last night... then he remembered what happened.

He actually sucked the royal dick of Prince Harry Styles. And now he was just back in bed alone. Louis could vaguely remember Harry and Liam helping him walk back, because of how drunk he was. They left him to change and get to sleep on his own, and Louis passed out within minutes. Of course now his head was _aching_ with a hangover, and all he wanted was a nice cup of tea.

He couldn't believe how Harry made him act last night. Just a few lovely praises and Louis was putty in his hands. But... Harry was good and trustworthy. He cared for Louis and didn't freak out when he got like that. The last man Louis trusted to give himself over to in that way without warning, completely abused his control and hurt Louis to the point of a panic attack. Needless to say, Louis kicked his ass later and set fire to the man's spaceship.

His hook ups since that incident have been fast, impersonal, no-strings at all, and usually in the dark. Louis hated having sex with the lights on. All his past partners would see his scar and call him ugly or deformed. So far he'd done a good job of hiding it from Harry.

Louis threw off his covers and sat up on the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It was going to be a long day if he didn't get rid of these head pains. He looked down at his body, only in boxers and a plain white shirt, and sighed to himself. At least he wasn't hard this morning, a bit odd considering last night.

He searched in the closet and found an old pair of grey sweat pants, that were soft and only had a few holes along the legs. He slipped them on and tip-toed out of the room. From the amount of sunlight, Louis knew it was already the afternoon, which probably meant everyone else was already up too.

The hall was empty and quiet as Louis made his way to the kitchen, and when he entered he was met with only Liam. The Tarthinian was sitting at the island on a stool, sipping hot tea and reading through the day's news on a clear touch screen. He looked up when he heard  Louis step into the room.

"Well good morning Louis." Liam said casually.

Louis only whined low in his throat as he poured himself some still-hot water for his own tea. At least it would be fresh.

"Or I should say good afternoon." Liam corrected himself, voice full of smugness. He was just so satisfied in his not-at-all funny joke. He very rarely made jokes. "I would ask if you had fun last night, but I am confident in the answer."

Louis rolled his eyes. "Was alright I guess."

"Did you and Prince Harry enjoy your trip the restroom then?" Liam asked.

Louis almost spit out his entire first sip of tea. Did he say something to Liam last night? Did Harry tell him? Had he walked in on them? "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"There is no need to play dumb with me, Louis." Liam said firmly, putting down the screen and crossing his hands together. "I watched you two last night. I had wanted to keep a close eye on the Prince, for his safety, and I saw you and him kiss. Then I also saw you two sneak into the restrooms, only to return a very long time later. I could tell very clearly what you and him had been doing in there."

"Oh and what do you think we did?" Louis snapped. "We didn't have sex, if you must know. Where is everyone anyway?"

"Your father took Zayn and Harry to the track, and Niall is still asleep." Liam said. He paused and watched Louis for a moment, until he cleared his throat and asked, "If you did not have sex with Harry, fine. But are you getting feelings for him?"

"No," Louis responded immediately, but then he thought back on it. Harry definitely made him feel something last night. He felt special and wanted, and most of all taken care of. "I-I don't know."

"You do not have to be ashamed by it." Liam assured his friend.

"It's not shame I'm thinking about." Louis said quietly. "I've just never, well you _know_ , I've never loved anyone before."

"It was Prince Harry who said that there is a first time for everything." Liam said with a gentle smile.

He thought he was so clever. Louis just quietly sipped his tea and nodded along. "I don't... You love Sophia, have since you met her, yeah?"

"Yes."

"And she knows everything about you? You told her all of your stories?" Louis asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Well I--maybe I don't want to tell Harry everything about myself and my past." Louis said. He couldn't bare having these feelings grow into something real, only for Harry to treat him differently because of his childhood.

Louis wasn't weak, he didn't always need to be coddled, but for some reason most people treated him like some precious, breakable object once they learned about his past. Harry was purely good hearted, and Louis knew the prince would treat him like all the rest if he found out.

"Nobody said you had to." Liam told him, nudging his elbow into Louis' side. "Give the prince and your feelings a chance. If he really does come to love you, then nothing will change when you tell him about Earth."

Liam was probably right. He was always right when it came to Louis' relationships. But the fear of Harry thinking any differently about Louis once he found out about his birth parents, all the things they did to him, was holding Louis back. It couldn't be real love eventually if Harry didn't even know him. Right?

After reheating the water and pouring a separate cup just for Niall, Louis turned away from Liam and sighed. "I'll do my best, alright?"

Liam nodded and stepped away so Louis could leave the kitchen again. The guest room Niall was staying in, him and Zayn really, smelled like alcohol when Louis went in to wake him up. He had the hot cup of tea ready for in case Niall had just as bad a hangover as Louis did. It was possible that Niall's would be worse.

He was passed out on the bed, over the sheet, with his head squished under the pillow. loud snores came out from him, and the whole things made Louis laugh. He put the tea on the bedside table and nudged one of Niall's green shoulders. "Ni, wake up. The day's almost gone."

"Mmmm!" Niall groaned, burrowing further under the pillow. " _Never_."

"Come on, I feel like shit too, but you can't sleep all day." Louis said as he poked Niall in the side. "I made tea."

As Louis dragged Niall into the kitchen, they could hear the front door open, as Yondu, Harry, and Zayn returned from the track. They were all laughing at something as they walked into the kitchen, and Harry tugged the scarf off his face, shaking out his long curls. His eyes met Louis' immediately and they smiled at each other, almost shyly. Louis waved as Prince Harry walked over to him, pretty much ignoring the greetings from everyone else.

"Good morning," Louis said quietly.

"Good afternoon." Harry replied, smiling when Louis blushed. he was vulnerable like last night, when he was on his knees for the prince.

Niall, whose head was still pounding from when he woke up, looked between the two of them with the most confused expression. "Am I.. missing something?"

"Yer missin' a lot of thin's, way I hear it." Yondu said as he squeezed Niall's shoulders, sharing a look with Zayn.

"Enjoy the races again?" Louis asked. He looked at only Harry, and it felt like they were the only two in the room. The prince was wearing a dark grey sweater and dark blue pants, and Louis had to mentally stop himself from touching him.

Behind Harry, Liam coughed loudly, and stood up from his seat. "Let us give them some privacy, _Louis_ needed to talk to Prince Harry about something."

The rest of the group shuffled out, even though Niall was complaining and even more confused. Yondu sent Harry an intimidating stare before he left, making a mental reminder to have a chat with the prince.

As soon as they were alone, Harry's arms were around Louis, and he kissed him, even Louis had to push him back. "What did you want to talk about?"

Louis sighed. "Harry, last night..."

He paused and Harry's mind began to race with unpleasant thoughts. Last night was a mistake? Was wrong? Can't happen again? Went too far? "Did--did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all Prince Charming." Louis said with a light, airy laugh. He had no idea how to go about this, or where to even begin. "I was pretty drunk, more than you, but I liked it. I'm just... I don't know where to go from here."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"With _this_." Louis said, gesturing back and forth between them.

Harry chuckled. "Lou, Starlight, you don't have to know where to go. it happened so suddenly and I don't even know what I want to do yet. We're... sort of in an odd situation. Just do whatever feels right, okay?"

"Right, yeah. _God_ , I'm sorry I'm being so fucking weird." Louis said with a nervous laugh.

"'S not weird." Harry said softly. His eyes wandered to Louis' sweet lips, the ones that had been stretched on his cock just last night. That let out the prettiest noises when Louis came on Harry's thigh.

He wanted Louis like that again, and then some. Harry wanted Louis to fall apart from pleasure, and be loud and restless beneath his body. he pressed another quick kiss to those lips, though it was hard to keep himself from going further, and walked Louis hand in hand into the next room.

+

The next two days went by easily. They watched the finals for the tournament and the closing ceremony, but all agreed to skip the after parties. Harry slept in Louis' bed, cuddled up close to him each night.

He meant to ask Louis about his behavior when they hooked up, he really did. Louis became so... submissive. That was the only good word for it. And Harry didn't want to take advantage of that in a way that Louis didn't like. But every time the thought returned to Harry's mind, they were too distracted or too relaxed for him to bring it up. Louis was this shooting star, a little ball of energy that Prince Harry didn't want to interrupt.

They've been recalling stories from their youth to each other, but Louis never seemed to bring up his much younger years. Harry knew nothing of where Louis was from or how he was adopted by Yondu. He never pushed those questions, though, because something told him Louis would bring it up eventually.

Their happiness was interrupted the afternoon of their fourth day on Tattooine. Yondu was out at the track, supervising the clean up from the tournament, Niall, Prince Harry, and Louis were having some video game marathon, while Zayn cheered them all on, and Liam was busy sending a holo-message to his family. Louis didn't hear the alert at first, he was so focused on the game, but eventually Zayn picked up on it.

There was a faint beeping coming from Louis' miniscreen on the other end of the room. Zayn grew his arm out and grabbed it for him, but he almost fainted when he saw what the alert was.

"Lads, um, you might want to pause the game."

"Come on Zee, just 'cause your boyfriend's losing--"

Niall scrunched up his face, "Boyfriend--"

"I mean it!" Zayn shouted, out of character. "Louis, you got a message from Princess Gemma!"

"Gem?" Harry gasped, whipping his head around to face Zayn. He threw his control to the side and almost snatched the miniscreen from Zayn's hands. "Play it!"

"Harry calm down!" Louis shouted. He took the miniscreen from Zayn and opened up the message.

A hologram of Princess Gemma appeared in front of them, and she looked panicked, but more put together than Ashton had in his message.

" _Ashton said this would work, I really hope it does_ ," she said, looking over her shoulder at something. " _I don't have much time, but please Louis Tomlinson if you get this, you must help. You've already done so much for my family, and this may be asking too much, but I'm so desperate._ "

"Louis," Harry said urgently.

"Shh, let me watch." Louis said, holding Harry's hand for comfort.

" _Ashton sent you a message some days ago, he told you not to take Harry home. But he was attacked after he did. He--_ " Her breath hitched. " _He was hit with a poisoned arrow a-and our doctors... they can't cure him. The only cure is on Osiris, under Coruscant control. It's in some flower called the Kisenian Blossom, but that's all I know about it._ "

Harry gasped, hand flying up to cover his mouth. His best friend was _dying_ , and he was all the way out here. "Gods no."

" _I'm the future Queen of Xandar and I'm begging you, Louis, please go to Osiris and pick the blossom, and bring it to Xandar. I've spoken to Star Fight, and they are going to get a weak section of Coruscant ships open for you. This is my hour of need. Just... help me Louis Tomlinson, you're my only hope._ "

When the message cut off, Harry was on his feet, "We're going, we're getting that flower. As soon as possible."

"Harry, take a second to breathe," Louis said quietly, standing up and grabbing the prince by his hands.

"I can't take a second Louis!" Harry snapped. "My _best friend_ is dying! We have to go, we have to save him!"

"We will!" Louis yelled back. "But we can't just go gallivanting off into Coruscant territory! They'll kill you! We need a strategy."

"Of course, of course," Harry said, pulling himself together. "Just, quickly please. I can't let Ashton die."

"He won't Harry, he won't die." Louis said, he turned around to Niall and Zayn. "One of you call Yondu and tell him to come home now. I'm gonna tell Liam."

As they each went into their different directions, Louis raced down the hall to Liam's guest room. He could still hear Liam talking into the message, so Louis waited outside until he was sure Liam was done.

"I love you both so much, and I promise I will be home as soon as possible." Liam concluded the message, and turned his head when Louis walked in.

"Couldn't get contact?" Louis asked, laying out on the well-made bed.

"Was not trying to." Liam said. He was in one of those rotating chairs, hands laced together on his lap. "Are you here for advice or news?"

"News," Louis said, fingers picking at the tiny pieces of lint on the bed. "Princess Gemma sent me a holo-message. Sir Ashton's been poisoned, and we're the only people in the galaxy who can get the cure to save him."

"I thought we were supposed to keep Prince Harry away from Xandar." Liam pondered. "Sir Ashton said in his message it was impossible to get through Coruscant's army."

"I guess they found a weak spot since Ashton messaged us." Louis replied. "There is... um some advice I'll take, I guess."

"About what?"

"Harry..."

"Ah, of course." Liam sighed. "How may I help?"

"Well, um, once we get the cure, and we get back to Xandar, then that's it. The job will be done, and Harry and I... will be done too." Louis said softly, not looking up at Liam. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "He's been so _good_ to me, Li, so good. But when we take him home, there won't be a reason to try to continue this."

"What makes you say this?" Liam asked. "He might want you to stay."

"I've got other jobs to do." Louis groaned. "And right now, he's just Harry and it's fun, but on Xandar, he's Prince Harry. He'll have duties and shit, and royal things to do. He'll go back into the military or something, and I won't matter."

"You truly underestimate our worth, Louis." Liam said. "And you underestimate Prince Harry's feelings, I think. You are his hero, literally, you rescued him from Knowhere. Help him save his friend, help him get home, and by the Gods, just tell him how you feel. It may be reciprocated."

"What if it isn't?" Louis whispered. "W-what if I tell him, and he says all this was just a bit of fun to pass the time until he got home? Why do I have to open myself up like this?"

Liam rolled his eyes, standing up from the chair and sitting next to Louis on the bed. "You risk your life constantly for a job that only makes you feel satisfied. For once, you owe it to yourself to risk your heart for some true happiness."

Louis blinked at Liam with a small glare. He was talking like some wise old man, but dammit he was right. Lately, Harry made Louis feel happier than he ever had in his life, and it would be dumb to give that up so easily. "Fine!" Louis groaned again. "Fine, dammit. Stop being so right."

"If I was not right, you would almost always be in trouble, though." Liam said, a little confused.

"That was a sarcastic statement."

"Oh."

"Come on, Dad should be back soon." Louis said, kicking Liam in the back to get him to move.

+

Yondu didn't waste any time when he got Niall's call about Princess Gemma's message. As soon as he was back in the house, they all gathered in the living room while he watched it for himself, checking the location of the coordinates she sent. "Well hot damn! Its yer lucky day Harry. That planet, Osiris, the one with the cure, I recruit there sometimes. They got a smaller track, less tourism, but talented racers."

"Wait," Harry stopped him with a raise of his hand. "You have an in to this planet?"

"Sure do." Yondu said proudly."

Louis panicked. He knew that mischievous look in Yondu's eyes, it was a look that Louis had before he went off on a really exciting job. "Yondu--"

"Come with us!" Harry cut in. He crossed the room. right over Louis, and talked directly to Yondu. "Please sir, come with us and get us onto the planet."

"Well, now I'm pretty rusty with that whole thing." Yondu said, glancing back at a very annoyed looking Louis. "Don't know if I should."

"You have to!" Harry practically shouted, so upset and desperate. "You're Ashton's best chance at living Yondu!"

"Harry!" Louis snapped behind him. "We can find another way in."

"We shouldn't have to!"

"Please stop shouting."

"Dammit, I want to work with Yondu."

"Come on, quit fighting."

"Enough!" Yondu's voice bellowed over all of them. He pushed past Harry and grabbed Louis by his shoulders, forcing the man to look up. "Louis. You asked me to retire an' I did, for you. But I'm doin' this last job with yah. I'm helpin' whether yah like it or not."

"Why?" Louis gasped, shoving Yondu's blue hands off. "Why do you have to do this?"

"He's a goddamn Prince, Louis!" Yondu shouted. "When a royal asks for help, yah accept. I taught you that."

"It's not like he's your damn prince!" Louis groaned, frustrated and upset. How could Harry just do this to them? How could he ask Yondu to walk into something so dangerous? Those good feelings Louis had about Harry, all the warmth he felt, were slipping away fast.

"Louis," Harry's soft voice spoke close to them. "Lou, you've helped me so much, and you said we'd get the flower for Ashton. Why are you changing your mind now?"

"Because... because I'm not risking my dad's life. H-he's out of practice a-a-and we don't even know what this flower looks like." Louis stammered. They were lame excuses, Louis knew that, but he couldn't stand the idea of taking Yondu out of retirement. They could do this without him.

"Actually," Zayn, who was standing off to the side with Niall and Liam, spoke up. The three of them had been watching the entire argument go down. "I know what the Kisenian Blossom looks like. The name sounded familiar so I looked it up, and I recognized it immediately."

"What does it look like then?" Harry asked quickly.

"Um, red, triangular petals, with yellow speckles, and an orange center. It's also got red thorns along the stem." Zayn explained. "Shouldn't be too hard to find."

"There yah go, Louis." Yondu said, but it did nothing to change Louis' mind.

He shot daggers into Harry's eyes, unbelievably angry at him. Then his expression softened when he finally noticed how terrible Harry looked. In the time Louis left him alone, the prince must have been crying, because his green eyes were red-rimmed, and the pink skin around them was puffy. They were pleading with Louis to agree, desperate to save his friend. How could Louis be so cruel to this person he was so fond of? He'd done so much for Harry already, but Louis couldn't let Harry's best friend die. All hope of the prince ever returning his feelings would be lost then.

Then Louis looked to the rest of the people in the room, and they all seemed to think using Yondu's connections was a good idea. Liam did look a little disappointed, but his stare was directed to Harry.

Finally, Louis closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, shaking his head with it. He threw his hands up in surrender and said, "Fine. Yondu, you can take lead. Make us a plan and disguises or whatever we need. Be ready to leave tonight."

Louis started walking away, but Prince Harry gently grasped his hand. "Where are you going, Starlight??"

The pet name irked Louis in that moment, because it sounded like Harry was only saying it to make Louis soften. Louis was feeling too stubborn for that. "To prep the Donny, I'll be on there if you need."

"Lou, stay out here with us." Harry said.

"I'm really not in the mood, Prince Charming." Louis slipped his hand from Harry's and walked to his room to gather up his things.

Harry watched him go and caught Liam shaking his head. "I didn't mean to upset him."

"Don' worry Harry." Yondu said with a sad sigh. "Louis worries about me, but he'll come around. Leave 'im to his thoughts."

Something about leaving Louis alone didn't quite sit well with Prince Harry, but he was in no place to argue. For now, he had to focus on getting the cure for Ashton. He had to save his best friend.

+

The group left that evening on two separate ships; Liam, Harry, and Louis were on the Donny, and Zayn, Niall, and Yondu were on Yondu's own Starship. It was more organized and less crowded this way, plus Zayn and Niall got the chance to learn directly from Yondu.

Louis cleaned out the spare bunk that afternoon, since it was no longer in use, and was mostly on his own. He felt bad for snapping at Harry, and not even considering how much pain the prince was in. It was always selfish of Louis to stop Yondu from doing the dangerous work they were used to. But could you blame Louis for wanting to hold onto the only family he had?

He still avoided Harry when they took off, just stayed locked in his bunk with the curtain closed. he heard one of them knock a couple of times, but he didn't answer.

That evening, Louis finally left the bunk so he could wash up, and saw that Liam was piloting. A part of Louis was happy that Liam didn't bother trying to say anything. Sometimes it was nice to have silence to clear his head. But Louis was sort of done moping around. There was nothing he could do at this point, but go with the flow and follow what his dad said to do. Just like old times.

The curtains over Harry's bunk were also down, so he wouldn't see Louis walking by. The prince did, however, hear someone passing by, and he looked out through a crack in the curtains to see. He watched Louis slip into the one person shower room. Harry decided to cover Louis when he was done so they could talk. Harry needed Louis to understand that he just wanted to save a friend, and using Yondu was, unfortunately, the only way. The prince wasn't some monster who would make someone risk their life for no reason. But... Harry also needed to finally talk to Louis about what happened at the club. He put it off long enough.

Inside the shower, Louis stripped off his clothes and started up the warm water. He stretched a and cracked all of his joints, sighing whenever he heard something new pop. Louis looked into the mirror above the sink; he'd gotten tanner in just those couple days on Tattooine, the bags under his eyes were lighter, and over all, Louis just looked refreshed. Inside he was a little emotionally tired. His head was constantly confused by his feelings for harry, and his need to keep his free-willed lifestyle. Some voice in his head kept telling him that if he chose to be with Harry, then he would follow him everywhere, probably settle down. Then again, that was probably his heart talking, and Louis hardly listened to his heart.

The water was the perfect temperature as Louis stepped inside, warming him up while they were in space. He took his time washing up, because it'd been a while since he could do it so thoroughly.

When the bubbles were pooled along the tile, and all of the soap was out of Louis' hair and off his body, he shut the water off. With a few presses to a control screen, a shelf with a few clean towels opened up for him, and he wrapped a soft, white one around his waist. The shower definitely helped calm him down more, got his mind back in place and all that. He'd have to apologize to Harry for yelling at him.

He rolled his dirty clothes into a ball, shook his hair out a few times so it fell into a damp messy fringe over his face, and stepped out to the cold ship. A shiver ran up his spine and came out as a low shudder from his lips, as his bare feet tip-toed back to the step ladder.

However, before Louis cold even get a foot up--

"Louis I-- _Oh_."

Louis jumped with his back against the wall, clothes dropped to the ground, but it was too late. Harry already saw it. "H-Harry--"

"W-what is that?" Harry asked, as he tried to look around Louis' body. "Was that..."

Louis was speechless. His hands clutched tightly onto the towel so it didn't drop, but other than that he couldn't move. His heart was beating a mile a minute because Harry had seen it. Even for just a second, Harry saw Louis' scar and -- _oh god, he probably thinks it's disgusting_. Louis thought, _they always say that_. His eyes closed and he just wanted Harry to leave to turn around and pretend like this didn't happen. Of course that wasn't what Prince Harry did.

"Lou, why won't you--please tell me what's going on." Harry said. He stepped into Louis' space, put a gentle hand on Louis' cheek, hoping to calm him. "It's just me, Starlight."

Louis opened his watery eyes and leaned into Harry's touch, but he only mumbled something that Harry couldn't hear.

"What was that?" Harry asked. He slipped his thumb under Louis' chin to tilt his head up. He wanted Louis to look at him, to know Harry was going to listen and wasn't going to run.

The small feeling coiled in Louis' throat, reaching down into his chest and flowing through his whole body. Harry was close to him, and Harry was waiting for him, and Harry was concerned. He didn't need to be, this was a stupid insecurity, Louis could deal with it. But that look in Harry's eyes, the care and concern he had, it made Louis' stomach do back flips.

"I-I," Louis whispered, pressing harder into the wall. "I said it's... gross."

" _Oh Louis_ ," Harry sighed. He couldn't believe that, nothing about Louis' body was gross, he was simply gorgeous. "Who could say something like that?" Who could say it so much that Louis would actively hide a part of himself away.

All Louis could think was who wouldn't say that? He's spent a lot of time looking at the scar in the mirror, he knows it's hideous. His birthfather made a point to remind him every time it could be seen. "Harry, p-please... drop it."

"I-I can't drop this Louis." Harry said. He did, however, drop his hands to hold Louis' much smaller ones. "Come to my bunk, let me look at  you, please Starlight."

Louis cannot say no to him, it was truly impossible at this point. He nodded his head, and let Prince Harry pull him to the bunk, guiding him by his hands. Harry backed up to the bed, carefully sitting down when it hit the back of his legs. Louis stayed standing, chest rising and falling rapidly with his nervous breaths. He could feel Harry's thumbs rubbing along his hands, to comfort him, make him feel safe. It worked, it worked so well, because Louis was slipping down in his mind fast.

"W-what do you want, Harry?" Louis asked in that small, high voice of his.

"You," Harry breathed out. It wasn't the answer Louis was looking for, and Harry knew that, but he had to say it. He had to remind Louis that he was most definitely wanted. "I-I want you to turn around."

Louis looked down into Harry's wide, green eyes, and he could barely hear above his own heartbeat. "I-I can't."

"You can, Starlight." Harry whispered. "Baby, I'm not going anywhere. Show me it."

All the air left Louis' mouth as he closed his eyes, and turned around, showing Harry his scar. The tan skin all the way from Louis' middle to lower back was marbled and warped. The purple and blue veins could be seen through the skin, all showing the damage that had been done. Harry ran one pink hand along the burn scar, starting from the top and all the way down to just above Louis' towel. This burn mark was not disgusting, it was not gross, not to Harry. It was a part of Louis, and it had a story, and no matter how sad, Harry wouldn't be turned off by it.

"You're beautiful Louis." Harry sighed, lips suddenly close to Louis' back. "So, so beautiful."

"Despite the scar." Louis whispered sadly. That was what the others who saw the scar would say.

"With the scar." Harry responded quickly. "Every inch, every imperfection." The prince pressed his soft lips to the marred skin, kissing Louis while he stood up. He kissed while Louis shivered, and while goosebumps formed, until he was standing straight behind Louis. "I'm sorry about today. I'm sorry for upsetting you, sweet, good boy."

His words soothed Louis, and the man leaned back into Harry's embrace, utterly breathless. "H-Harry. I forgive you, really. I understand why we're doing this, I really do. But--"

"Shh, shh," Harry hushed, hands sliding up Louis' sides and over his tummy. He kissed along Louis' neck, nuzzling at him. The prince's long hair fell over Louis' shoulder, tingling his skin. "Thank you for saying that. I'm so, so happy that you're doing this for me. But Louis, there's something else I need to talk about. Especially while we're here, like this."

Louis' eyes went a bit wide when Prince Harry pushed up against him, when he felt how hard the prince was. He really did still want Louis, and Louis wanted him just as much. "What is it? What else?"

With a long, released breath, Harry brought a hand up to turn Louis' head, to look into his eyes. "When we were in the club, when I had those... pretty lips of yours around me, you were different. I could feel it. You'd have done anything... and I don't need to know why, not right now at least, but..."

Harry paused for what felt like a million years, and Louis was going a bit crazy. He knew what Harry was talking about, he knew that night he'd become so loose, and trusting, and in no control over himself. "But what?"

"But I was wondering... would you be like that again for me?" Harry said. He heard Louis' breath hitch, he hoped it was okay to ask, especially after today's events. "Are you so mad that you wouldn't trust me to take care of you?"

"I--" Louis' voice caught in his throat. Of course he trusted Harry, even after their fight today, he still knew Harry was good. Even right now, Louis was melting right into prince Harry's arms, ready to do whatever the prince wanted. "I do, I do trust you."

"Good, good, because... I really liked it. Even more than I thought I would." Harry said, almost as breathless as Louis. He kissed Louis' lips, barely pressing down before he pulled back again, swiping his tongue across his mouth. "Louis, I want you. Let me have you."

"You can." Louis said. He was almost completely at Harry's mercy now, feet light and head fuzzy. "You can have me."

In only a second, Harry was sitting back on the bed, turning Louis by his hips. "Lie down then, on your stomach." As Louis started to move, Harry changed his mind, pushing him back with a pink hand on Louis' tummy. "Wait, first take this off."

Harry's fingers played with the top of Louis' towel, and Louis nodded while he untied it. The white material fell to the ground between them, while Harry removed his own shirt. Louis licked his lips at the sight of Harry's toned, muscular stomach, the shadows along the pink skin. "You're so... gorgeous, Harry. Honestly, I-I've never been with someone so radiant."

The prince smiled up at Louis, until his eyes fell down Louis' own body, to his cock. Harry bit his lip, because even Louis' cock was pretty, perfect size for Louis' body. It made Harry's own erection twitch in his tight pants. "Nowhere near as pretty as you. On the bed now for me."

Louis nodded, crawling over on his stomach, and looking over his shoulder at the prince. "Like this?"

"Yeah, Starlight. Perfect." Harry said. he stood up off the bed, facing Louis and staring down at his plump arse. Waiting for Harry to touch him, to make love to him, and to do it well. The prince slowly removed his pants, causing Louis to get even more worked up, but Harry didn't care. He wanted to prolong this was much as possible.

When he was left in only his black briefs, the prince kneeled behind Louis, running his hands up the man's legs, over his bum, and to his back. He waited until the muscles in Louis' back loosened, then resumed kissing his back. He paid extra attention to the burn mark, still wondering what happened, how it got there. Was it from a past job, or something else? He tucked those questions away for later.

Harry's puffy lips trailed all the way down, along with one of his hands, to Louis' arse. His hand squeezed one round cheek, while his sharp teeth nibbled on the other. Louis squeaked at that and Harry smiled; he sure was cute. "How well did you wash, Louis?"

Louis, whose arms were shaking and threatening to give out any second, only looked back at Harry with a confused expression. "Why?"

"Because I wanna eat you out," Harry said confidently, bluntly.

Louis moaned and pushed his arse back, because he _loved_ that. It was so rare that Louis let men do it, though. " _Yes_ , you can--I--it'll be fine."

"Good, good boy." Harry said, remembering what the praise did to Louis last time. It was different today, though, because they were sober and more nervous.

Harry pulled open Louis' cheeks and groaned low in his throat at the sight of Louis' hole. Down here, Louis was slightly pink, just around the rim. It made Harry a bit possessive, and hungry for it. So, Harry stuck out his tongue and circled it around the rim, and Louis gasped from just that bit of contact. Harry smirked, spit at Louis' hole to make it wet and licked at him with purpose.

Louis fell to his elbows from the pleasure, he loved this feeling so much. Harry's tongue was so warm, and so wet, and it was doing things Louis couldn't even imagine. Harry's long hair fell down and tickled Louis' skin, while he pulled Louis in by his thigh to get even closer. The prince pointed his tongue and started to press inside, meeting some resistance. Louis whined, and it's about then that Louis realized just how long it'd been since he'd had sex. He's probably so tight, and he knew Harry had a big cock. This was going to hurt, maybe a lot, and Louis didn't know if he was ready for that.

But then he felt one of Harry's long fingers pushing against him, wet with spit. The prince paused and Louis whined, because _no_ he can't stop now, not when Louis was feeling so, so good. He shook his hips back at Harry, causing the finger to push past his rim, and _yes_ , that's what Louis wanted.

" _Harry_ ," Louis whined, face pressed into the pillow.

"This okay, Starlight?" Harry asked.

And, _wow_ , Louis was out of his mind. "Yes, of course it's good, Harry."

"I have to ask, Lou." Harry whispered.

And Louis wanted to say, _no, you really don't. You can have me whatever way you want_. But he bit his lip and kept it in. Harry slowly slid the finger in and out, letting Louis get used to just the one. He continued to lick around his finger, around Louis' rim, relishing in the high pitched whimpers Louis was making. Harry pulled his finger out and lapped up and down Louis' hole, pinching his arse a few times just to work Louis up.

"Baby, I'm gonna get my other fingers in you, open you up. Harry started, murmuring against the burned skin of Louis' lower back. "Then I'm gonna get my cock in you, fuck you good. You want that? You want me inside you?"

Louis moaned lowly, " _Fuck_ , yes I want that."

"Say it, say exactly what you want." Harry commanded, gently though. He was dying to hear Louis' perfect voice say those words.

"Want your big cock in me." Louis gasped. " _Please_ , Prince Charming. Want you to fuck me good."

"That's good boy." Harry said, smiling. He pushed his long curls out of his eyes and shucked off the briefs, sighing at the pressure release on his dick. Louis was arse up, and wet from the prince's spit, waiting and desperate for more, and Harry couldn't wait to give it to him. "Do you have any slick, Baby? And protection."

"Yeah, yeah just click on the screen. Code 309." Louis said, weakly pointing a shaking finger to the screen next to the bed.

Harry followed the instructions and a panel below the screen opened up. Harry grabbed the slick and, hopefully, the right sized condom, then coated three of his fingers. He really hoped that was enough, as he slid the first one back inside. Louis whimpered and sighed as he was filled once more.

"Two Harry, please." Louis whispered, rocking his arse back on the one finger.

Harry wasn't sure if he was ready for it yet, but Louis sounded sure of himself. "Shh Baby, I got it." He slid the second finger in with the first, scissoring them and opening Louis up. He could feel Louis slipping further and further into his submissive state, and it was beautiful and heartwarming, and Harry was filled with so much awe over this man. "You've no idea what you do to me."

Louis had a pretty good idea, actually, when he felt Harry's hard cock rut against him. The prince didn't ask Louis, nor did he wait for a command, before he fit his third finger into Louis' tight heat. Harry sucked at the back of Louis' shoulder, marveling at the pink and purple color he created.

He couldn't get enough of how different they were, but how beautiful it all looked together. Harry wanted to be inside Louis, to give him pleasure and gain his own from Louis' body. "Want my cock now? You ready?"

"Yes, please Harry." Louis moaned, looking over his shoulder and, oh, there were tears in his eyes. Good tears, caused by how amazing Harry was making him feel.

The prince sat up again, fitting the condom on and slicking his cock. He stroked himself a few times to the sight of Louis' loosened and wet hole. With one hand anchoring Louis down, Harry slowly pushed into him. Louis gasped at the initial pain, he remembered how big Harry was, and he felt it all more than ever now. The prince swore as he sunk into Louis' tight arse, but he could see that he was hurting Louis, so he stopped halfway. It felt better than Louis could have ever thought.

After letting out a few deep breaths, Louis reached behind himself and grabbed sharply at Harry's thigh. "Move, come on Prince Charming. Have me."

"By the gods," Harry grunted, forcing himself the rest of the way in. Louis shuddered but didn't try to stop the quick pace Harry began. Harry was roughly thrusting in and out, grabbing both of Louis' hips to pull him backwards. Louis was so tight, Harry had to focus to not come too soon. "Fuck, feel so good, Baby."

"Ah, ah," Louis grunted, pushing himself back up onto his hands. Harry was stretching him so good, filling him so much, better than anyone Louis had been with before.

Then Harry switched the direction of his hips, driving into a different place inside Louis, until he hit Louis' prostate. Louis cried out loudly, high pitched, and so pretty, and Harry focused on hitting that spot again and again. "Yeah, that feels good doesn't it Louis? Just what you wanted, what you needed?"

Louis couldn't speak with how good Harry was making him feel. But he nodded, quickly, and whimpered. The stimulation on his prostate was causing his cock to leak precum, dripping into the sheets. After one particularly hard thrust into his spot, Louis keened, and realized how loud he was being. And Liam was only a level above them.

"H-Harry, oh _fuck_ , Harry," Louis whimpered, throat going sore with the constant strain.

"Love it when you say my name, Lou," Harry moaned. "You feel so fucking good, feel like mine."

Louis was choking down the noises, not wanting Liam to hear, but y _es_ , he was Harry's. He wanted to say it, to tell Harry he was all for him the prince, but damn he was so loud. "Harry, f-fuck, fingers, please."

"What?" Harry asked breathlessly, slowing down the movement of his hips.

"T-too loud," Louis whispered.

"Oh, Baby. I know, I love it." Harry said. He pushed Louis into the bed, so they were lying down, Harry's body completely covering Louis. "Can't get enough."

" _No_ , Harry," Louis whined, more frustrated now. "Liam, Li can hear--don't w-want him to hear."

"Oh my sweet boy." Harry cooed. Louis' voice was so small, so vulnerable, and Harry didn't want Louis to tense up and become uncomfortable. He propped himself up with one forearm, and brought his other hand to Louis' mouth. "Here Lou. I told you, I got you."

Louis moaned and wrapped his pretty lips around two of Harry's long, pink fingers. He sucked hard on them, just mewling when Harry started his fast pace back up again. He grunted and moaned at the clenching of Louis' tight arse, and the suction of Louis' mouth on his fingers. Memories of that same feeling around Harry's cock pushed him closer to coming, but he wanted Louis to come first.

The prince shoved a hand between their bodies and wrapped it around Louis' cock. "Move with me Baby, make yourself come for me. Wanna feel your pretty body come."

Louis' eyes rolled back and he did what Harry asked, rutting down against the prince's hand and the sheets, along the same rhythm as Harry's hips. He was close, the heat from his impending orgasm pooling deep in his tummy. He grabbed onto Harry's wrist to have something to hold onto, and his other hand clutched onto the pillow, squeezing tightly.

"Come on Louis, release it," Harry moaned, biting into Louis' neck.

The feeling of Harry's sharp teeth made Louis' gasp, pulling off of Harry's fingers and suddenly, with a high shout, Louis was coming. He came between their bodies, all over Harry's hand and the covers. Louis mewled and his face fell, breathless, into the pillow.

"Fuck yeah," Harry groaned, thrusting harder into Louis' clenching hole. He sped up his hips and released a deep breath, finally coming only a minute after Louis. He filled the condom, and collapsed onto Louis' body, both men catching their breaths. "Oh Starlight, sweet boy. So fucking good."

Louis winced when Harry pulled out, but as soon as he caught his breath, Louis couldn't help but start giggling. "Yeah, _shit_ that was nice."

Prince Harry laughed along with Louis, kissing the back of his neck and rolling over onto his back. He tied the condom off and tossed it into a small bin on the wall of the bunk. They were both shiny from sweat, and sex, and so giddy. Harry didn't want this moment to end. "Louis, look at me."

Louis switched the way he was facing and batted his long eyelashes at the prince, teeth biting his lip, though he was still grinning. "Yes, Prince Charming."

"Would it be entirely corny if I said this was probably the best sex I've ever had?" Harry asked, tracing a hand up Louis' tan back.

Louis laughed again, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, I would have to say the same thing." He sat up and grabbed Harry's shirt from the ground, because it was the closest, and used it to wipe himself off, ignoring the pout from the prince. Then Louis turned his body and settled half on Harry, with his head on the prince's chest. He traced his fingers over Harry's pink skin, while Harry pulled the blanket out from under their bodies, and wrapped his own arm around Louis' shoulders. "Thanks... for not getting weird about that."

"What?"

"Just..." Louis paused, collecting his thoughts. "I know I was getting a bit strange... sometimes I can be pretty submissive I guess." He stopped again when he felt the prince start to nod, it was hard for Louis to really talk about this. "But... I guess I just... I'm kind of falling for you."

Harry didn't even process it at first, mostly because Louis had whispered to him. But then he pulled Louis closer and tipped his chin up when  he understood. "Oh Lou... I think I feel the same."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Harry kissed him sweetly. "All of this is a bit confusing, and I have so much going on in my head about home and Ashton, but you... how I feel about you is so clear."

Louis' lips curled up into a bright smile, and he tangled one of his hands into Harry's hair, pulling him down into a passionate kiss. Harry kissed back, holding Louis tightly, warmly, until they were both out of breath. The exhaustion in Louis' bones finally kicked in, and with a sigh, he closed his eyes and settled his face into Harry's neck. "You make me feel so many things."

Harry let Louis rest his eyes and he looked down at their bodies, at the mix of colors. He looked with worried expression at Louis' burn scar, before mumbling, "Lou, what happened--"

The prince barely touched the scar mid-question, but Louis still jerked his lower body away. "Not tonight, Prince Charming. I'll tell you, I will, but not tonight."

"Okay, okay Starlight." With one last kiss to Louis' temple, Harry's head finally rested against the pillow, letting himself rest. The sound of their matching heartbeats and soft breaths soothed Prince Harry into a deep, calm sleep.

+

The next morning, Louis woke Harry up with a few kisses and nibbles to his neck, but when those didn't work, he settled for pinching one of Harry's nipples. Harry squeaked and grabbed Louis' hand, pulling it away from his chest. "Not the nicest way to wake someone up. Especially not a prince. In fact, _really_ especially not a prince whom you had very, very good sex with the night before."

"Oh, don't be a baby." Louis quipped. "You've got to wake up, though, we made it to Osiris."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaaaaaand now for some not so good news...  
> so i got very busy the last couple weeks with the school semester ending and also working on christmas gifts, and i haven't finished the next chapter yet. so in order to get back ahead of writing, im putting this on a break. sorry! but i want to have at least the next three chapters written before i post again! so hopefully this means i will post chapter 8 the end of january.


	9. A Brave Son--Who Gave His Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for making you all wait so long! im back on track and there will once again be an update every saturday :) 
> 
> Chapter title from [Soul Love by David Bowie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3dtDdO5Op4)

The planet Osiris was located on the outermost part of the Coruscant/Xandar Province solar system. To get there, the company wouldn't have to pass through any other Coruscant territory, so it was relatively safe. When they were on the planet, they would be far enough away from the main Coruscant planet as well, which allowed them to hide a little better from Harry's enemies. The people on Osiris were under rule of Coruscant, by territory, but they still had a lower government that ran them directly. That government _didn't_ hate Xandar... as much...

It was also classified as a Forest Planet, as its land masses were completely covered in both Temperate and Coniferous forests. The only way they would find the blossom they wanted fast enough, would be by landing near a nature center. Yondu would take Liam with him to talk to recruiters, while Louis, Niall, and Zayn would check out a nature center to locate the flower, and Harry would stay with the ship. At least, that was the original plan they came up with, without Louis. It was Louis who made a few last minute changes.

"I agree that Yondu should talk to the recruiters, but I don't want Niall and Zayn leaving the ships." Louis said as he slipped a couple knives into his ankle holsters. He could feel one of Harry's hands rubbing circles onto his back, right over his scar.

"Louis, come on." Zayn groaned. They were communicating through the message screens from opposite ships. "I'm the one who knows what the blossom looks like."

"You gave us a good description, and this," Louis waved his mini-screen in front of him, "Will be able to identify it properly if we find it. Someone is going to recognize you."

"But Lou--"

"Hold on, now just hold on." Yondu cut in, leaning into the frame of the screen. "I see your point Kiddo. Didn' even think o' that when we was makin' the plan."

_That's because you're out of practice_. Louis thought.

"How would you split up the groups then?" Yondu asked.

Louis looked around at each of them, then Niall and Zayn through the screen. He sighed, because this would be easier with at least one more person. "Well, Yondu you do the recruits, but _Liam_ will go with me to the center, and Zayn can keep watch in that ship, while Niall comes here and keeps watch on this one with Harry."

"Alrigh' that sounds--"

"Wait, sorry Yondu." Harry said as he interrupted. "Um, Lou, I'd like to go with Yondu to the recruits."

Louis' jaw dropped and he quickly whipped his head around to look at the prince. "Haz, you're joking right?"

Harry smiled sheepishly and, if it was possible, his cheeks turned an even darker shade of pink. "No actually. I-I know you don't really want your dad to go in there alone, yeah? And I don't want to just sit back and hide."

Louis groaned. He knew it was all because Harry was a good soldier, who wanted to help people and be in the action. He knew it was torture for Harry to just sit idly by while people did all of this for him. But, dammit, they were in Coruscant territory, and it wasn't the time for Harry to get antsy. "I'd rather Dad go in on his own, then you go with him and risk exposing who we all are."

"Babe-- _Louis_ , I was in front of much bigger crowds on Tattooine in the disguise and nobody recognized me." Harry said, sliding his hand up Louis' side.

For a moment that touch sent flashes of memories from last night through Louis' mind. For a moment he felt Harry's lips on his neck and Harry's voice murmuring praises into his ear. Saying no to this prince was getting harder and harder. "Jesus Christ--Fine. But you can't talk and you have to be extra careful. Take a second phaser with you."

"Of course, sweet Starlight." Harry said, kissing the knuckles on Louis' hand.

"Stop that," Louis hissed, but he was blushing and grinning down at the prince all the same. "Are we all good with the improved plan?"

The rest of the company agreed and cut off their transmission so they could all get ready to land. Liam was giving the new couple an odd look, in fact, he'd been pretty quiet all morning. There's a little embarrassed fear inside Louis that thinks Liam definitely heard them last night. he _told_ Harry they were too loud. While Harry was putting on his 'Edward' disguise, Louis sat next to Liam in the cockpit.

"Hey Li, can we talk?" Louis asked.

"We should be preparing to land on Osiris." Liam said, voice unnaturally tight.

"Li," Louis sighed, grabbing his friend by the arm. "Come on. I-I know you heard Harry and me last night."

Liam's purplish skin started to turn violet around his cheeks, and he continued to stare straight ahead. "I was not going to say anything about it. I did not want you to be uncomfortable."

"Well... okay that's nice of you... but could you stop looking at us like we made you watch?" Louis asked. "I mean, you told me to let go and be with him, and tell him how I felt... which I did, sort of."

"I suppose I thought you would have at least done it in private, where nobody was forced to listen." Liam said, finally looking at Louis with a stern expression. "I am happy for you though."

Louis cracked a smile, and gently hit Liam's arm with his fist. "Thanks Li. Now let's-- _try_ \--not to be weird while we're looking for the Kisenian Blossom."

"Not weird at all, Louis."

+

After they entered the Osirian atmosphere, Yondu flew them over to a small clearing by a patch of wood to land the ships. He didn't want it to be too easy for Osirians to find the ships if they needed to be make a quick getaway. He knew the people of the planet wouldn't have an actual designated area for starships because they were not an interstellar travel planet.

As soon as they landed, Niall made his way over to the Donny before anyone could catch him. Harry was quick to throw his scarf around his face and complete his disguise, while the rest of the group left the ships to Zayn and Niall. None of them wanted to waste any time to get the cure from these people. The ships were landed only about half a mile from a welcome center, so it didn't take long for them to be met by two natives.

"Welcome Yondu Udonta of Tattooine," one of the natives, a tall, slender man with dark tan-redish skin and the head of a fox, greeted the group. Liam looked around at the rest of them with a state of confusion and slight fear. He'd never seen people like this before, and they could practically smell the fright coming off of him. "And his friends. We thank you for this visit to our lovely planet."

Yondu gave them a charming smile, the business man that he is, and shook each of their hands. "Ain't gotta thank me for giving me your own racers."

The fox-headed man nodded and the other greeter, a gray-skinned man with the head of a jackal, stepped forward to say his own piece. "We are always happy to send our talent to your tracks. It is better to have them race with you on your industrial planet, then here in our pure forests."

"Whatever get's me more racers." Yondu said. He pulled Louis forward to shake each of their hands as well. "My son and his friend here were wonderin' if they could tour a bit o' your precious nature, now you mention it."

"How very charmed we are to meet you, Mr. Tomlinson. Yondu has spoken very highly of you each time he has been here for our business. I'm happy to see you finally taking an interest." The fox said.

The tone of the fox was condescending enough to have Louis physically holding himself back from pursing his lips and turning up his own nose at them. It was obvious they didn't like him already, and were ready to put up with everyone to keep transactions with Yondu. "Yes, well, Dad's talked this planet up enough to finally strike an interest."

"We can assure you, you will not be disappointed." The jackal said as he bowed his head and stepped aside. One of his hands pointed out to gesture in the direction of the path to the nature center. "If you will just follow me this way, we can help you explore our beautiful wildlife.

Louis and Liam both nodded, and Louis just looked back at Harry one more time, before they both began to follow the jackal to the woods. The other greeter followed the same gestures, only in the opposite direction, so he could take Yondu and the disguised Prince Harry inside the welcome center to the head of their recreational business.

They walked a few feet behind the greeter, each scoping different exits or other doorways. Harry wasn't nervous, not really, but he was a little irked by these people. They were under Coruscant territory, and would answer to the people who attacked his home. And while some Coruscant territories feared their empire, this planet did not. Harry knew the people on Osiris liked the Coruscant rule, and would help to protect it. Which could easily mean that some of them had a hand in the plot against Xandar.

Next to him, Yondu coughed a little, clearing his throat, and he pulled Harry back a bit. They walked far enough behind the guide so  their conversation can't be heard. "I been meanin' to ask yah somethin',"

"Yes sir?"

"This thing that's been goin' on between you and Louis, I want you to know that I approve." Yondu said, clapping a hand on Harry's back.

Harry coughed nervously. "I-I don't know what you mean."

"Come on boy," Yondu laughed heartily. "I'm pretty old, but I ain't stupid. I know you're sweet on him."

"Oh." Harry said, cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. "Well, um, _sir_ , I do like him a lot. A-and I promise--"

"Now hold on." Yondu cut off, continuing to laugh. "You don't gotta explain nothin' to me. I just want yah to know I approve, and just 'cause you a prince don't mean I won't clock you for hurtin' my boy. But he deserves someone like you. Someone at least a little bit stable."

"Well, thank you sir." Harry said, letting out a deep breath. He felt slightly intimidated by Yondu, especially talking about Louis. Still, it was nice that Louis' family was okay with them being together. Now Harry just had to figure out Louis. "He's pretty secretive, isn't he?"

"He hasn't had the easiest o' times, so he'll take a bit to fully trust you." Yondu explained, sadness in his voice. "But I wouldn't call it secretive, just private."

"I wish I knew how to get him to open up to me." Harry sighed. "We've gotten close a few times, and he's told me about a few of your old jobs, but nothing too personal."

"Just be good to him." Yondu said as they rounded a corner of the long hallway. "I'd have tah get you anyway if you weren't good to him. Don't care who yer family is."

"Understandable." Harry said with a smile.

Their guide stopped outside a large metal door, surrounded by racing posters on either wall. "Our director is waiting in here. You may enter when you are ready."

"Thank you kindly young man." Yondu said with a nod. He shook Harry by the shoulders to get the prince focused, and they opened the doors together.

+

As far as both Zayn and Niall could tell, there were no guards put on the ships. So they put up a video call between the ships to make the wait less lonely. Zayn was making shapes with his fingers, growing out the root-like digits however long he wanted. He was pure magic to Niall.

"Do the willow tree again!" Niall suggested.

Zayn's arms grew up and his finger fanned out into flowing branches, hanging over him like an umbrella. He was a truly amazing sight to see. "Why do you like that one so much? You can't even see my face."

"Maybe I don't want to see your face," Niall snapped, mockingly, before he burst into a fit of giggles. "Sue me, I like willow trees."

"You just like me." Zayn said, but he regretted it immediately. He blushed a dark maroon on his cheeks, and retraced all of the willow limbs quickly. "A-and by that I-I mean--"

"Zee, it's cool," Niall said with an awkward cough. "I mean, I did, um, I did try to like..."

"Drunkenly kiss me?" Zayn finished for him, albeit a little sadly. Their night at the club had been a rather confusing one, because while Liam and Louis stayed with the prince, Niall and Zayn were getting drunk at the bar.

And by that it was mostly Niall who was getting drunk, but Zayn had fun keeping his friend together. He watched while Niall did a few shots, then began to jokingly rant about the pod races. Zayn honestly didn't even see it coming when Niall grabbed him by the cheek, and tried to kiss him. He pushed Niall away, fearing it was just Niall's drunken, inhibition-free mind being silly. A part of Zayn wished he'd just let it happen though, so he could have at least kissed Niall just once.

"Yeah," Niall took a deep breath and stared down at his fidgeting hands. "The thing is Twiggy, i didn't mean to make you uncomfortable..."

"Nialler--"

"And I _was_ pretty drunk," Niall continued. "But..." He covered up his embarrassed face with his hands, and peaked at Zayn's image on the screen through his fingers. "But I sort of thought you would _want_ to kiss me."

Zayn took in a breath, afraid this would happen. There was silence between them once again, before Zayn finally answered. "Niall... it's complicated."

"Don't you like me though?" Niall asked with a confused frown. "I've been so sure you had feelings for me."

Zayn's hands clenched and his jaw dropped, unable to form real words. Had Niall known all this time, all these years? Was Zayn really so obvious about it? No, no it was more likely that Niall was only figuring this all out now. He was finally putting the pieces together. "N-Niall that isn't what's complicated. We shouldn't be figuring this out at a time like this."

"A time like what?" Niall asked, scratching the back of his head.

"This is probably the hardest and most complicated job we've ever been on." Zayn sighed. "And I know we've all been watching Prince Harry and Louis, watching whatever that is unfold and shit."

"I've never seen two people fall for each other like those two have, at least not that fast." Niall said.

"Exactly. And on top of that there's Liam," Zayn continued, standing up from his seat so he could pace the floor. "Liam's married and always talking about his family."

"It's nice."

"I know it is, but Niall," Zayn groaned. "All of these emotions flying around in a high pressure situation can be confusing. And I'm... I'm afraid that whatever it is you're feeling right now might not be real."

"Oh," Niall fell quiet, because that was just ridiculous. His feelings for Zayn, as new and probably very late as they may be, were very real. Just because it took travelling so many places, and being with so many people, didn't mean his heart was wrong. Zayn has been with Niall through literally everything, and there will never be another person Niall could love as much. "Zee I don't think that's what this is at all."

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Zayn asked rhetorically. "When this job is finally over, if you still feel the same, then we'll go from there."

"Sure." Niall said, more like mumbled, with a defeated tone. He was going to have to find a way to show Zayn that he really did care for him. He might even love him.

+

The nature center on Osiris was one hundred acres of mostly forest and grassland. There was a small building at the center, with several wooden bridges leading off to separate trails. Louis and Liam followed their guide over one of these bridges so they could take a small tour of the center. They made sure to follow the path that led over the grasslands, because they could find the Kisenian Blossom amongst the other wild flowers.

So far neither of them saw a flower the matched the description Zayn had given. When their guide was distracted by another group, Liam suggested they look through the archives of the main building to find a location. Louis thought it was risky, because someone could spy on what it was they were looking for, and the operation would be compromised. However, as they got closer to the main building, that was starting to look like their only option.

As they walked, Louis caught a glimpse of his reflection in a small pond. He was still a sunny-tan color from all the exposure on Naboo and Tattooine, but he looked newly refreshed, glowing almost. Good sex will do that to you. But he really did need to shave, as there was a nicely forming beard. He didn't mind all the hair, always thought it made him look rugged, but he just felt cleaner when he shaved.

Liam watched while Louis scratched at his beard. "Something wrong?"

"Nah, just need to shave." Louis grunted.

"You look rather handsome like this." Liam assured him.

Louis chuckled. "Thanks mate, but it's got to go. I look younger without the beard anyway."

"Why does it matter how old you look?" Liam asked, but then he started to give Louis a sly smile. "This would not have anything to do with a certain someone who happens to be two years younger than you, does it?"

Louis started blushing and he tried to keep it casual. "Don't be silly Liam. Two years is nothing, why would I want to look younger than that? I just... prefer my face without all the hair."

If Louis were being honest, he would say that his clean-shaven face looks softer, more delicate. He would look how Harry makes him feel. And maybe he wants to look god for the prince at some point, as in his very best. He hoped he would get that chance once they got back to Xandar.

"I think he likes you no matter your facial hair." Liam said. He didn't understand.

"Forget about it, we're supposed to be looking for the flower anyway." Louis said, clapping Liam on the back.

"Might be wise to keep that part of our visit quiet." Liam said cautiously.

Louis chanced a look forward at their guide, who's long furry ears twitched in their direction. He very well could have been listening, but Louis was sure they didn't say anything too obvious. Still, Louis nodded up at Liam, and kept the rest of the walk quiet.

They finally reached the nature center after about a half hour of waking, and thankfully, there wasn't a lot of other people. In fact, there were only two more groups, each too preoccupied to notice Louis or Liam. One looked like a dignitary family from another planet, and the other was definitely some environmental corps, judging by the hiking gear they had. Louis and Liam thanked their guide, and quickly made their way to one of the catalogue screens on the other end.

"Should we look it up by name? Or just scroll through the flowers?" Liam asked. He was keeping a watch over his shoulder to make sure nobody spied on them.

"By flower I think, we never know if they're keeping tabs on who checks it. They must know by now that Xandar would try to send someone to get it." Louis said as he clicked through the different pages.

There were so many kinds of wild life on this planet, and very little industrial settlements. The Osirians were very proud of the life their planet produced, and had very strict laws to prevent any sort of damage to it. Coruscant must have been very desperate for whatever resources they got from Osiris, because they weren't known for being nature lovers. It's shame, really, that Osiris was on the side of those monsters that would try to take over Harry's home, because the more Louis looked through the catalogue, the more attractive this planet became.

In another life he would have liked to spend a vacation here. But then Louis thought back to the sandy, exotic beaches of Naboo, and the sunlight heating his skin. He thought of Harry in those tight swim trunks, maybe running on the shore and splashing water at Louis. He thought of cool evenings under the stars, Harry's lips on his salty skin, making love in the--

_Oh my god, focus Tomlinson_ , Louis shook his head to clear away those images.

He couldn't daydream a time like this. They had to save Ashton and help Xandar first, then maybe Louis could ask Harry about running off together. But... then again. Harry was probably going to join back up in Star Fight. He would have to serve, just like how he was supposed to be doing now. Who was Louis kidding? When this was over, Harry would go back to being a prince.

Louis was still going to do his best to help Harry, because he wasn't a terrible person. He also started to care a great deal for Harry, and would do anything to make him happy. So, he continued to flip through until he got halfway through the 'K' section, and saw the flower Zayn described. "Got it! Kisenian Blossom right?"

"Yes that is what Zayn identified." Liam said in a hushed tone. "Where are they located?"

"All around really, but mostly south of here." Louis said as he read through the information. "Hold on, there's geographical coordinates listed. Hm, Li where did we park the ships?"

Liam pulled out his miniscreen and tapped through until he found the coordinates. "Here."

Louis looked back and forth between the two sets of data. "Fuck me, we've landed only a little ways north of a huge patch of the blossoms. How did we miss that?"

"We were surrounded by trees, it would have been easy to miss them." Liam said. "We should alert the others and head back."

"Good idea, cover me." Louis said as he backed into a corner and brought up a call on his miniscreen to Harry. It took a little while for Harry to answer, probably because he had to make an excuse to get alone. "H-Edward? How's everything on your end?"

" _Fine, yeah_." Harry whispered. " _Just organizing deals and all that. How about you? Did you--_ "

"Yes, sort of anyway." Louis said, hoping Harry would understand. "Finish up as fast as you can and get back to the ships. Liam and I will sort everything out."

" _Oh thank you, Starlight_." Harry said, breathing out a relieved sigh. " _See you soon_."

Louis cut off the call and turned back to Liam. "Let's blow this place."

"Um--"

"Just an expression Li," Louis said quickly as he tugged Liam along back to the door. They made sure their guide didn't see them sneak away, and started the long jog back to the ships.

+

After their little talk, Zayn took a break from the video call to walk around Yondu's ship. He tried to keep his thoughts away from Niall and his confession, because it was all coming with the worst timing. He went up to the top deck, which was smaller than the deck on the Donny, made of only a domed glass alcove and pilot's seat.

He could see pretty far out, and the tinted windows meant nobody would see him inside. There were a lot of different trees and bushes surrounding them, and in the near-ish distance, a small colorful meadow. Zayn squinted his eyes and he could see an assortment of different flowers, red ones especially. He pulled out a pair of binoculars from his coat pocket, and zoomed in on them.

"Holy shit." Zayn gasped. His hunch about those flowers was right; red petals, orange speckles, they were Kisenian Blossoms. They were just right there, and with nobody else in sight, Zayn could easily slip out and grab some. He called Niall through his miniscreen. "Ni, come in Nialler!"

" _Yeah, yeah what's up Zee_?" Niall answered in an aggravated huff.

"I can see the flower." Zayn told him as he started climbing down to the bottom deck of the ship.

" _What?_ "

"The Kisenian Blossom! Niall, I was looking right at it." Zayn groaned and threw his hood over his face as he ran to the entrance.

" _Wait, Zee are you serious?_ "

"Yes!" Zayn said. "I'm gonna go grab one while there's no one around."

" _Louis said to stay on the ships though!_ " Niall shouted. " _Come on Twiggy don't do anything stupid. They'll all get back soon and you can tell 'em then_."

"I'll be fine Ni," Zayn said, throwing on his boots. "It won't take me long to gab just one."

" _It's not safe. Anyone could be hiding and spying on the ships_."

"I'll be okay, keep a lookout if you want." Zayn said as he quickly hung up and opened the door to the ship.

He ducked down and looked all around, but didn't see anyone guarding them. He waited only a few more seconds before bursting into a run towards the meadow. He hid behind a few trees along the way, growing some leaves and vines from his arms for cover. He'd finally reached the edge of the wood, when suddenly a pair of hands grabbed him by the shoulders.

He yelped and pushed himself back to dismantle his attacker, but was met with a familiar sounding grunt. "Ow! Zayn it's me!"

The tree-hybrid rolled over to see Niall covered in dirt and rubbing the back of his blonde head. "Ni! I told you I would be fine!"

"You can't honestly think I'd let you go out here along right?" Niall asked sarcastically. He pushed himself up off the ground, and helped Zayn stand as well. "So. Where is it?"

"They're somewhere in this meadow." Zayn said as he scratched his short beard. "It looked a lot smaller from the ship."

"Well, let's get to searching."

The meadow was a lot bigger than Zayn initially thought and not even all the red flowers he found were the right ones. Niall wasn't being very helpful, either, since he was picking up every flower they found and asking if it was the right one. He meant well, Zayn knew that, but the search was getting exhausting.

Zayn, eventually, rolled over on a patch of grass, limbs splayed out, and gave out a loud, annoyed groan. "Maybe we should have waited for the others, this is hopeless."

Niall dropped down next to him in a sitting position and place a small, blue flower on Zayn's chest. "You said you saw them here, so we'll find them."

"Louis' going to be so mad we left the ship." Zayn sighed, rolling onto his side to face Niall.

Niall only shrugged. "If we find the flower then I don't think he'll mind as much." He looked down at the lines of Zayn's body, subconsciously licking his lower lip, but then something caught Niall's attention. "What's that?"

Down a small dip in the mostly flat meadow, just a few feet behind Zayn, was a bushel of new red flowers. These red flowers had orange speckles on the petals. Niall pushed himself off the ground quickly and leaped over Zayn to set to them. He cheered loudly as he picked one and tossed it to Zayn, almost hitting him in the face.

"Holy shit. These are it!" Zayn said excitedly as he inspected the blossom. The one Niall had thrown at him was more matured and had a pod in its center. Zayn squeezed the pod and caught about a dozen Kisenian seeds in his hand. He stored them in wrist for safe keeping, but when he went to help Niall pick fresh flowers, an alarm went off.

A loud, blaring siren rang around them from every direction, so shrill it made Niall drop the flowers and cover his ears. "Ah! What the fuck is that?"

"Nothing good!" Zayn shouted over the alarm. There wasn't any time to think, they had to get back to the ships before any guards showed up. Zayn grabbed Niall and dragged him back through the meadow as fast as he could.

"Zee! What about the blossom?" Niall yelled as they ran.

"We know where it is, so we can go back with the others, come on!" Zayn only made it a few more feet before a group of Osirian guards emerged from the woods, guns pointed and ready. "Fuck."

The head guard stepped forward with his gun pointed at Zayn's head and said, "What you two are doing is illegal. The wildlife in this preserve is to be left untouched."

"Is it?" Niall said, pretending to be completely innocent. "Wow, that's our bad. Won't happen again. We'll just be off then."

"Ah, ah, ah. Do not think for one moment that we do not know who you are, nor what your business is with us here." The guard said menacingly. "Mr. Horan."

"Well shit, this again."

"Run!" Zayn yelled to Niall as he tackled over one of the guards. He formed a small shield of branches around the both of them as they made a break for the ships.

The head guard gave an order for his company to follow them and fire at will. He stayed back and sent a message to the real head of command back at the welcome center.

 

 

 

The prince and Yondu finished up their business faster once they got the call from Louis. So far, nobody grew suspicious of their motives, nor who 'Edward' really was. They were just walking out of meeting with their original guide when it all went to shit.

Just as they were out of the door of the welcome center, the guide got a call from someone. He looked alarmed and Yondu watched as the guide sent a signal to two guards behind them.

The two of them kept walking, but Yondu was able to whisper to Harry a warning. "We've been made. Be ready in case--"

"Mr. Udonta, just one more thing." The guide said, cutting off Yondu's warning. "It's a shame we won't be able to continue our business with you."

Yondu reached one hand into his gun holster under his jacket, and stopped Harry with the other hand. "Honestly, can't say I share that disappointment."

With a strong shove, Yondu pushed Harry behind him and took a shot at the two guards. He killed one and hit the other in the shoulder, while Harry turned and leapt at the guide, pulling him into a chokehold until he collapsed. But just before he went down, the guide grabbed at Harry's scarf and yanked it down off his face, revealing his identity. Harry shook him off and knocked out the other guard with his own phaser. But before they knew it, even more guards started to come out of the welcome center, and they had to make a run for it.

"It's Prince Harry of Xandar!" One of the guards shouted as they chased the pair.

"We have to warn Louis!" Harry yelled as they ran for the ships.

Yondu took a shot at a guard behind Harry's left side with a loud cheer. "My boy prolly knows by now! Gotta get you to safety!"

"What about the Kisenian--"

"Harry! Louis'll figure it out!" Yondu yelled harshly as he pushed Harry ahead so he could get to the ships first. Thankfully the ships were still intact when they reached them, but they couldn't leave until they knew everyone was onboard one.

Then on the other side of the ships, Harry and Yondu heard even more yelling and gunshots. As they got closer they saw that Zayn and Niall were out of hiding and in the middle of their own firefight.

"Why the devil are those two idiots out of the ship?" Yondu shouted to Harry.

Harry was about to answer with his own very annoyed question, but they were soon surrounded in a rush of gun and phaser fire.

 

 

 

Louis and Liam ran down the platform from the nature center path so they could get to the ships and the flowers. However, as soon as Louis leapt over the side of the railing, he could see they were too late. On one side of the ships Niall and Zayn were being chased out of the woods by a group of guards, and on the other side, Harry and Yondu had the same issue. But then Louis saw that Harry's disguise was off, and he heard some of the guards shouting his name.

"This is not going according to plan." Liam grumbled as he joined Louis on the ground, and pulled out his phaser.

"No shit Liam," Louis snapped, getting his own weapon out. "Harry's been compromised, we're gonna have to leave."

"Right." Liam agreed. "I will help Zayn and Niall back onto the ships, you help Harry and your father."

"Okay!" With that, Louis broke into a run, pushing over one of the guards on his way to the prince. "Harry! Look out!"

The prince turned around at the sound of Louis' voice, and watched as Louis shot down a guard attacking from behind. "Louis! You're here!"

"And you're still okay!" Louis responded as he ran to Harry's side. Just as he reached the Prince, a guard started running at them from the left, and forced Louis to tackle Harry out of the way. They rolled a few feet away, into a hidden cover of bushes. "Damn Prince Charming, you have all the boys chasing you."

"Oh shut up," Harry said with a light smile, kissing Louis quickly on his lips. "Glad you could get back to us."

"Yeah, but I'm sorry we won't be able to get the flower." Louis somberly mumbled. he sat up off Harry's body, and helped the prince off his back.

"Let's... Let's not mention that right now." Harry said quietly. He really couldn't handle all the panic of the fight, and the thought of losing his best friend all at once. He needed to worry about escaping. "Let's just--"

"Well, well, well, Prince Harry Styles, hiding from a fight?" The captain of the guards found them, and pointed his gun pointed blank at the prince. "Very embarrassing end to the son of such a noble royal family."

"Oh fuck off," Louis grunted. He swung his leg out and kicked the captain down, and Harry grabbed the gun on his way down.

The captain rolled and lunged at Louis, getting a good, hard punch to his cheek, before his hands went to Louis' neck. "Low life piece of--"

He didn't get to finish the insult, because Harry shot him through the side of his head. The prince pushed the dead body off Louis and helped him sit up to breathe. "Lou! You okay, Starlight?"

Louis coughed a few times and looked up at Harry; his cheek was bleeding. "I'm fine, yeah. let's help the others."

Harry watched Louis stand up and dust himself off, before following and doing the same. He gave Louis' bum a pinch just to make the man squirm a bit. He was about to say something when another guard came running towards them. However, before either of them could take him out, he fell to the ground with a knife in his back. It was one of Yondu's knives.

"What are you two--no, I don't wanna know," Yondu said as he grabbed both their shoulders and pulled them out of the bushes. "The green kid's got the Donny read tah go, we gotta leave now!"

"What about your ship?" Louis asked as they started to run to his own ship.

"No time to start up both!" Yondu yelled as he shot at the oncoming guards. "Go faster dammit!"

They were so close to the ship, when Yondu saw a guard come at them from the side. This guard raised up his gun at Louis and took a shot, but Yondu was able to jump in front, taking the bullet straight through his shoulder, Louis gasped when he felt Yondu push him and go down, but Harry was able to kill the guard before anything else happened.

"D-dad?" Louis stammered, kneeling next to Yondu. There was a huge gash in his dad's shoulder, blood dripping out.

Yondu looked at another wave of guards coming from a few meters away. He knew there wasn't a lot of time, and, sadly, he knew what he had to do next. "Louis _, fuck_ ," He started with a coarse and pained moan. "You done good on this, and I'm proud of yah, but you gotta go now."

"No." Louis said vehemently. "No I-I'm not fucking leaving you!"

"There ain't time to argue!" Yondu shouted. "You get out and get safe! I'll take care of these shits!"

"Dad--"

"Get out now son!" Yondu directed his attention to Harry next. "Remember that talk we had Harry, remember what you said to me."

"Yes sir, but--"

"No buts!" Yondu said harshly. "You made me a promise, boy. Now take Louis and go!"

Harry was struggling with himself as he looked at the injured Yondu, Louis who was about to have a breakdown, and then the group of guards who were getting closer. But he'd made a promise, and even though Louis was going to hate him, Harry had to escape. "Please forgive me, Louis."

"What? Harry--No!" Louis gasped when Harry picked him up, and gripped tightly so he couldn't get away. Louis was carried off to the Donny, as he looked back and continued to scream, "No! Yondu! Yondu, please get up! Dad!"

Harry raced to the ship as fast as his feet could carry them both. He did his best to not let Louis' cries get to him. Liam, Zayn, and Niall were all already on the Donny, waiting for them. "Start up hyper drive now!"

"Where is Yondu?" Liam asked when he saw them. "You cannot mean to leave him!"

"We're leaving on _his own_ orders!" Harry yelled. "Now go quickly!"

Liam ran to the top deck to give the order, and Harry collapsed to his knees while Louis screamed. "How could you? This is all your fucking fault! You just left him, you left him to die!"

Harry took each blow from Louis' fists onto his chest, and every cry from his lips. He knew Louis was just upset and scared, but what was Harry to do? Yondu wanted to stay behind, they both wanted Louis safe. As Louis started to go quiet, to fall into sobs instead of yelling, Harry held on with strong arms. He let Louis cry into his chest, he let Louis breakdown in his arms, where Louis would be warm and safe.

Harry let Louis get it all out, while the ship entered hyper space with no set destination. He kissed Louis' temple and whispered, "I'm sorry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow what a depressing way to enter back into this fic...


	10. I Stepped Out With Heavy Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im updating early because i won't have time to post tomorrow with it being valentines day and all... 
> 
> Chapter title from ["Bloody Shirt" by To Kill a King and Bastille](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P00kfamddrI)

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Harry repeated his mantra while Louis continued to sob into his shoulder uncontrollably.

Niall, Zayn, and Liam were all still on the top deck from when Harry told them to take off minutes ago. He didn't know where they planned on going, nor if they even knew, but it didn't matter in the moment. No, right now Harry had to hold onto Louis, make him feel safe and hopefully better after what just happened. Harry was so sure Louis hated him now, but the way the bounty hunter tugged on Harry's jacket to keep him there said otherwise. The prince wanted to be close to Louis, at least until he knew Louis was really okay.

Harry looked up at the open door to his bunk, and the still unmade bed that waited inside. He remembered waking up in that bed only this morning with Louis, memories of the previous beautiful night together playing on his mind. Everything had been perfect with Louis, and it all seemed broken.

Then Louis whimpered, and took Harry's attention back to him. He was dirty with blood on his cheek from being hit, and leftover remnants of the bushes from when they fell into them. "Starlight, come with me to the shower?" Harry asked softly. "We've got to get all that blood of you. A-and it might make you feel better."

Louis only nodded, he couldn't find his voice to say anything if he wanted to. Harry understood, and he wiped some of the blood off Louis' cheek, before getting him off the ground. There was no fight in him while Harry walked them both across the deck to the shower.

The prince started the water at a warm temperature, and helped Louis undress. Louis was sitting up on the counter, head down and watching his feet swing back and forth, but he moved easily when Harry took off his clothes. Harry's hands rested on Louis' knees and he kissed the top of Louis' head once before removing his own clothing.

"Louis?" Harry asked once he was fully naked. "Lou, do you wanna get in now?"

Louis nodded and pushed himself off the counter. He pulled Harry behind by his hand, and let Harry wrap both arms around his body while they were inside. He cried while Harry washed the dirt and the blood away. He cried while Harry kissed him and told him how it would all be okay. How could it be okay? How could Louis be okay after Yondu, the only real parent he ever had was probably dead on some far off planet?

This was exactly what Louis figured would happen. He knew it would be dangerous to let Yondu back into the field, but he let him anyway. Louis should have fought harder to make Yondu stay. He should have grabbed Yondu as soon as he was hit. He shouldn't have left him there to die.

Louis felt small and powerless in the worst way. He couldn't take any of that back, nothing could change the course his life had taken.

Everything was a blur while Harry finished washing the grime of the day from Louis' body. He was quiet and gentle while he massaged Louis' scalp as he washed his hair. Louis melted into Harry's body, humming quietly and letting his mind go a bit blank, Harry's fingers working some kind of magic. He barely noticed when Harry shut off the water and pulled him out. The prince dried them both off and wrapped a towel around his waist while Louis did the same.

Harry watched while Louis took deep, uneven breaths and his knees wobbled, and when Louis tried to take a step, he felt faint and tripped right into Harry. Louis was about to lose it again, to let another sad wave of sobbing come out, but Harry caught him.

The prince had to know what the others planned on doing, where they were going, so he could relax and take care of Louis. "Babe, Starlight? Shh, it's okay. I've got you." Harry whispered as he picked Louis up, hooking his knees over his own elbows, and carried him into the bunk. He carefully lay Louis down and gave him a kiss to his teary cheek. "I'll be right back, it's going to be okay."

What do you even say at a time like this? Harry had no idea how he could help Louis, there was no way to fix this problem. He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes to try and rub away the stress, but his head was hurting, he was exhausted, and over all felt like a failure.

Harry quickly threw on a pair of boxer shorts and a white shirt, and then tied his hair up in a small pony tail, half up-half down. His tired bones took him up to the top deck, where the other party members had a report up from a planet close to Xandar.

" **... even though we are confident Star Fight and Xandar are doing their best to contain the invasion. However, the sighting of Prince Harry and several other allies on Osiris, Coruscant territory, is causing even more speculation on the prince's involvement. The majority still stands that he is just another victim, but smaller groups try to argue that he is part of a conspiracy to--** "

"Can we turn that shit off?" Harry mumbled angrily.

The others all flinched and jumped at his unexpected voice, and were quick to shut off the news transmission. Niall ran over and helped Harry climb out of the hatch. "Sorry Haz, w-we just wanted to see if it was safe."

"Guess it isn't then." Harry said with a heavy, clenched jaw. "Where are we going now?"

"We could hide on Tarth." Liam spoke up. "My planet is peaceful and--"

"No, no Liam." Harry cut in, throwing one of his hands up. "Thank you, but I can't have anyone else risking their families for me. Especially not your daughter, and not... not after today."

They all solemnly looked down, still not sure how to react. Yondu was gone. They lost a hero, a friend. Louis lost his father, and they couldn't even get the cure to at least save Lord Ashton.

"How's Louis doing?" Zayn asked.

Harry's eyes focused in on Zayn's hand, which was holding tightly onto Niall's, before answering. "Not good. He hasn't stopped crying, and he hasn't said a word since he yelled at me."

"He will be okay, Harry." Liam said softly. "Louis is a very strong person."

The man Harry left on that bed didn't look strong at all. He looked cracked, and broken, and finished. The prince wasn't going to mention this to them, not yet at least. "Yeah. I'm going to stay with him, just the two of us, though, until he's ready. I just want to be able to tell him where we're going."

"Why can't we go back to Xandar?" Niall asked. "The news said it was being continued."

Harry shook his head. "Coruscant knows we'll try to get into the planet now. They'll be ready for us an we'd be blown out of the sky before we even stand a chance. There's gotta be somewhere else."

Niall started pacing as he suggested, "Well, I know a free planet in the second quadrant we could go to. It's not the most exciting place, mostly snow and icy terrain, but I got an old buddy who runs one of the only settlements."

"The second quadrant is mostly free planets, a lot of which are not even advanced enough yet for space travel." Liam pointed out. "It's the perfect place to hide out."

"Sure, sure. What's the name of this planet?" Harry asked hurriedly.

"It's called Hoth, I don't know if Louis is familiar with it." Niall said. "I'll put the coordinates into autopilot, though."

"Okay, thank you." Harry said as he quickly made his way back down the hatch.

Niall punched in the location of Hoth and started the Donny on its new course. He was about to take a seat in the pilot's chair, when Liam stopped him. "You may rest if you wish. I will stay up here in case something should happen on the journey."

"Thanks mate," Niall said with a smile. He looked over Liam's shoulder to see Zayn already going downstairs. "I've gotta talk to Zee about some things anyway."

Liam nodded and took his place in the pilot's chair. When the ship was well on its course to Hoth, and when everyone else had settled on the lower decks, Liam made an attempt to contact Sophia. During the whole job he'd been trying to get onto a call with her and Ava, but they always seemed to miss each other. He just wanted to see them and make sure they were doing okay without him there.

It took three separate calls for Sophia to answer, and when she did Liam could have cried. She looked beautiful as ever, in a red tunic that made her lilac skin brighter, and hair up in a messy bun. She gasped when she saw Liam, still a little rough from the fight, and her hands flew right to her mouth. " _Oh, Li-Liam_."

"Hello my Darling." He said in a soft, crackling voice at the sight of his wife.

" _I did not recognize the call, or I would have answered on the first-_ -"

"Soph it is fine, I understand." Liam said happily. "Is Ava still awake?"

" _I was about to put her to bed, but I am positive she would love to see her Dada_." Sophia said fondly, walking to another room for a brief moment to get their daughter.

It wasn't long before Ava was running in on her own, arms stretched out to the screen. " _Daddy!_ " She squealed excitedly as Sophia lifted her daughter up and sat her on her lap. " _Daddy we miss you!_ "

"Daddy misses you too Ava." Liam cooed. She looked about the same as when he left them, but maybe her hair was a little longer. He worried so much about not getting to see her grow up, especially when she was still young. Time was going to pass by so fast when Liam finally got home, and soon she would be going on her own adventures. Hopefully not as dangerous though. "What have my girls been up to since I left?"

" _Mommy painted my whole room, Daddy!_ " Ava said with a big, toothless smile. " _She made a big, big picture all over one wall!_ "

"Oh really? I am sure it is very beautiful." Liam said fondly.

" _It is! It looks just like our treehouse_." Ava said, twirling her hair in her hands. " _When are you coming home, Daddy?_ "

Sophia and Liam's faces both fell, because they knew the answer was indefinite. Still, Liam didn't want his daughter to be sad or scared. "Soon Baby girl. Very soon."

" _Oh goody!_ " Ava clapped, before yawning loudly. " _Tell Spaceman Louis I miss him too_."

"I will Baby girl, let your mother put you to bed now." Liam said, voice saddened by the thought of Louis. He was going to have to tell Sophia about that at least. "I love you."

" _Love you Daddy! Night, night_ ," Ava said as she climbed down from Sophia's lap, and scampered off to her room.

Sophia waited until Ava's door was closed, before nervously asking, " _What is troubling you, my love? I can see that you are not alright._ "

Liam sighed, not wanting to share this information, but he knew she would only worry more if he told her nothing. "You remember Yondu, Louis' father? Well he's... I am afraid he has passed."

Sophia gasped, " _Oh no, b-but I thought he was not to be with you?_ "

"We had to bring him on board." Liam told her. "This has become so much more complicated than anyone thought."

" _And you still cannot tell me what you are doing for this job?_ " She asked. She knew the answer of course, but still had to ask in the hope that her husband would give a hint.

"No, my Darling, especially not now." Liam said, afraid that if she knew more, then he could put her in danger.

She nodded, she understood. It was like this before they were married, and Liam would go around on jobs with Louis. They were young and carefree, or careless, back then. " _How is Louis?_ "

"Not very good. He has been a mess since it happened, but hopefully he will be okay to continue." Liam said. He really had no idea how well Louis would be when he finally calmed. Harry was so sure he could take care of Louis, but he didn't really know him, not for real anyway.

" _Poor thing_." Sophia sighed. She took down her hair and started to form a long braid on the side. It was an endearing habit she did when she was nervous. " _Just... do your best to come home to us. No money in the universe is worth not having you._ "

"I know, I know my Darling." Liam said quickly. He waited to be home, but this was a good job, it would help so many people. And the money would help his family so much in the long run. Especially since the first thing Liam planned on doing when he finally got back to Tarth, would be to have another baby with Sophia. "I-I have to hang up, but you know I love you, right? I love you more than anything."

"And I you, I love you too." Sophia said. She signed off for him after blowing a quick kiss for luck.

He sat back in the pilot's chair, and wiped his eyes. This was harder than he ever thought.

+

When they left the upper deck of the ship, Niall and Zayn didn't try to ask Louis how he was doing, or even see how Harry was holding up. They just quickly climbed down to their old bunk on the lower deck in silence. Niall's mind was moving a mile a minute, because of the events that had just happened on Osiris.

He lost a lifelong hero, he almost lost Zayn, and now one of his friends was losing their mind. It was all so _heavy_ , and Niall wasn't used to heaviness when it came to jobs. Maybe he and Zayn were just always lucky, or maybe he really never took on anything too dangerous, but this job was stripping him down.

And Zayn... his Zayn was probably feeling the stress of it all too. He was feeling the weight on his shoulders, so much that he didn't even want to listen when Niall told him his feelings. It was all turning into do or die now, literally, and Niall couldn't take it. He couldn't handle the idea of him dying, or Zayn, without all of this tension and all of these emotions between them being resolved. He was not ever going to leave this life without Zayn knowing... that Niall's heart belongs to him. It took long to realize, but it does... it's all Zayn's.

Zayn sat down on the bed, head falling into his hands while he rubbed at his temples. A part of him blamed himself for what happened. All he had to do was stay on the damn ship. He didn't notice that Niall had sat down in front of him, until he felt the man's hands squeeze tightly at his knees. "Niall--"

"I love you." Niall blurted, eyes wide with his nerves.

"I know." Zayn said sadly. He let out a deep breath. "Niall, I know you think that but--"

"No buts!" Niall snapped. "None of that bullshit. Zee, Twiggy, I _do_ love you. You're it for me. And I'm so sorry for taking so long to get my head out of my ass and realize it, but I'm in love with you."

"Niall! After today, I really can't handle this right now." Zayn grumbled, pushing Niall's hands away. "I told you, we aren't talking about this until the job is done."

Niall could cry, and that wasn't something that came to him easily. Sadness wasn't an emotion he was used to. "Zayn, why don't you understand? We lost someone today, and I-I could have lost more. All I can think about is 'what if I lost Zayn', okay? I would _die_ if the Osirians caught you. And all I want now is for you to know that I really do love you."

"Ni--" Zayn was cut off suddenly, when Niall grabbed him by his forearms and pulled him forward. He blinked into Niall's eyes with a sense of nervous excitement, because he had no idea what was going to happen next. It looked like Niall was about to yell, perhaps, or something else unpleasant. Zayn's pulse sped up to a rapid pace, blood growing hot in his veins.

But instead of yelling, Niall's lip wobbled, and he grasped Zayn's cheeks in both hands. "Please, Zee. Please just tell me you still love me, if you ever loved me at all. I want to hear it from you."

"You're an idiot." Zayn said shakily. "You're the biggest idiot I have ever met, and you're reckless, and you have almost no regard for anyone else's wishes!"

"Say it, please just say it," Niall kept repeating.

He didn't say it, though. Zayn didn't say anything Niall wanted to hear, but maybe he did something better. Zayn surged forward and stopped Niall mid-sentence with his lips, kissing him for the first time.

Niall was so stunned that he didn't even kiss back, just stayed frozen against Zayn's lips. That is, until it registered in his brain that Zayn really was kissing him, and then he couldn't stop himself from climbing on the hybrid's lap. Zayn's arms immediately went around Niall's back, roots tangling together so Niall couldn't escape. Not that he even wanted to.

Niall's own hands moved down to Zayn's neck, then to the collar of his shirt, tugging on it just slightly. That made Zayn pull out of their kiss, directing his lips to Niall's green-skinned neck, which was hot and sweaty now. "I do love you. Sometimes I want to hate you, so fucking much, but... dammit Ni, I might be stuck loving you forever."

"I'm fine with that." Niall said, shrugging and leaning back to look at Zayn. "I feel so stupid for not realizing sooner. And I'm so happy you put up with me through all of this."

"Like I could ever leave you." Zayn said with a bright smirk. "And, as if you could survive without me."

"Very true," Niall snorted, connecting their lips again. He moaned against Zayn's soft lips, and began to move his hips in a short, circular motion. The mood changed quickly after that, because Niall could feel Zayn getting hard under him, and he knew what they both wanted. "Zee, it might not be the best thing but... god dammit, I want you so bad."

"I don't know Niall," Zayn mumbled. His doubts came from the memories of all the people he knew Niall had been with before. All the times Zayn was jealous and angry, and even hated people he didn't know. But... he could use that to fuel him, to make love to Niall like nobody else had. He'd show Niall that it was good to love him, because nobody could treat him like Zayn could. "You really want me?"

" _Yes,_ " Niall moaned, voice growing desperate. "I do, I really do."

"Would you let me do what I wanted?" Zayn asked. "Would you let me make you forget all the others that came first?"

"Yes, fuckin' hell, that's exactly what I want." Niall whined, scratching at Zayn's chest with blunt nails.

"Good," Zayn said in a stern voice. He grabbed Niall by the man's hips and lifted him up, only to turn them around and drop Niall onto his back on the bed. "Take off your clothes."

Niall did as he was told, shaking off his shirt first, before he scrambled to undo his pants. Zayn stood above him, watching while he slowly unbuttoned his own shirt. He let it fall gracefully from his shoulders and to the ground, and Niall sat further back on the bed, waiting to know what was going to happen next. Honestly Zayn didn't know what he wanted next, he was secretly overwhelmed with the idea of finally being with Niall.

 _Fuck, where does Louis keep any of his shit?_ Zayn thought to himself in a panic as he removed his pants. _Maybe there's a drawer or something?_ He started looking around, and the quiet was making Niall nervous and twitchy.

Just as Zayn opened a small drawer on the wall and at least found a bottle of lube, Niall couldn't take it. "Zayn, can we--"

"Niall, I swear--" Zayn cut himself and Niall off. He started slicking up a few of his fingers as he glared down at Niall with darkened eyes. The jealousy caused by Niall's past lovers was still fresh in Zayn's mind. "Unless you're saying my name, I don't want to hear anything else come out of your mouth."

Niall almost laughed at that comment, and he just smirked and shook his head while Zayn kneeled down between his legs. "Seriously? Well, what if I-- _ah_!" Niall gasped when Zayn pressed a finger deep into him, head falling back. " _Zayn_."

"Better," Zayn hummed as he kissed along Niall's neck, opening him with just the one soft finger. "I like you quiet like this, Ni. It's different."

Again, Niall wanted to come back with a smart remark, but all he could think about was Zayn's finger inside him, how good it felt. Zayn's lips were on his neck, biting and licking around the green skin. He moaned, and whimpered, while Zayn added a second finger, then a third, rutting his hips down along with each thrust. Then Zayn curled those fingers up to Niall's prostate, making the man swear.

"Oh, shit, yeah Zee, right there!" Niall moaned, unashamedly. He repeated Zayn's name, feeling his body grow warmer and tighter, until he was close to bursting.

The movement stopped suddenly, when Zayn pulled out, causing Niall to whine, and stroked his cock above Niall's body. He opened another drawer, slower this time to tease Niall a bit, and grabbed a condom from inside, rolling it on.  "You really are so hot Ni, how could I not want to do this? How could you just deny me this for so long?"

The answer was the same Niall had been giving for days, he was so stupid. He was stupid to not want Zayn, to not be in love with him. And now Zayn was making up for it, thank whatever deities really exist. Niall couldn't be happier, he couldn't help but smile as Zayn pushed in, he couldn't help but grab Zayn by his hips and pull him closer. Zayn smirked at how little Niall was doing to gain control, and he thrusted in quickly. It's all so fast with them, like everything, but it's wonderful, it's what Zayn always wanted.

"You feel amazing Ni, _fuck_ , I love you so damn much," Zayn moaned. He yanked Niall's hands from off his sides and pushed them to the pillow above his head. Zayn's arms grew out to their roots, wrapping over and over again around Niall's to keep him down. "Shit, fucking perfect."

Niall doesn't think he'd ever heard Zayn say much in so little time, and it only turned him on more. He wished he could touch himself, jerk himself while Zayn's cock was inside, but this was all Zayn's choice, and that's apparently not what he wanted. His legs wrapped tight around his lover, swear words coming out louder. It was a wonder how none of the other company came to complain to them. They were probably too busy with Louis.

A warm coiling began to form in Niall's stomach, and he knew he was getting close, he could tell Zayn was going to come soon too, because his moans had turned into low, focused grunts. Zayn let go of Niall, opting instead to leaned up on the bed, put all his energy in the movement of hips, every thrust into Niall's spot.

Niall whimpered, finally getting a hand around himself, and he his eyes shut while he brought himself to his orgasm. He shouted, but let it catch in Zayn's mouth in the form of a deep kiss. He groaned into it, and felt his cock burst over his hand and stomach, "Oh Zayn!"

The hybrid couldn't help but grin at the sight of his love coming undone from him. Niall's hole clenched when he came, and Zayn moaned out his name as he too came, spurting into the condom.

They kissed breathlessly as their highs subsided, and Zayn rolled them onto their sides. He laughed, and Niall did too, because neither of them had ever been so happy. Niall was the one to take the condom off of Zayn's dick and throw it away, licking some spare come off his finger tips. Zayn groaned and once again brought Niall into a kiss.

"Finally," Zayn mumbled into Niall's lips. "Really, fucking finally."

+

Louis was where Harry left him, only curled into a ball over the sheets. Harry sat behind him, rubbing a bruised hand up and down his bare, still drying side in an effort to sooth him. Louis' breathing was erratic, but it hitched and slowed when he felt Harry touch him. Harry just wanted to take care of Louis in any way he could.

Louis let Harry roll him over to his back, looking miserably up at the prince. "Where did you go?"

The first words Louis had spoken since they left, and Harry felt like shit for leaving him. "Just wanted to know where we're going. I'm here now babe, not leaving unless you want me too."

"Okay," Louis' voice was so soft, and still shot from the screaming. His eyes were still red and wet at the corners, lip still quivering just in the slightest, but as Harry lay next to him, Louis seemed to relax. "Where are we going?"

"To some icy tundra planet in the second quadrant. Niall knows a guy." Harry said, as his hand swept down over Louis' tummy. "It's called Hoth."

"Never heard of it," Louis said with a shrug. He sat up, and re-positioned so they were both under the sheet, then tossed the damp towel to the floor. "But... you know... I'm from a planet in the second quadrant."

"You might have mentioned that," Harry whispered nervously.

"I-it's called Earth," Louis started. He sucked in a breath and looked deep into Harry's eyes. This was it, he was going to tell Harry everything because he really had nothing left to lose. "I--"

"Louis," Harry said quickly. He couldn't let Louis just spill everything while he was this vulnerable. It would feel like taking advantage of him. "Starlight, you really don't have to tell me, not now."

What a weird thing to say considering Harry had been pestering Louis about all this since Naboo. What if he didn't want to know anymore? What if he didn't care? "But... I _want_ to tell you. Please Harry, while I've still got the nerve, I just want to be fully honest."

The prince brushed a few strands of Louis' damp hair out of his face, getting a better look at him. Those beautiful eyes that Harry loved so much had lost a lot of their shine. They had gone dull from the sadness, with barely a sparkle left. "Are you sure?"

Louis grabbed softly at Harry's hand, which had settled on his cheek, and nodded. "Yes, absolutely sure."

"Okay, but you can stop whenever you want." Harry said, assuring Louis that it was okay to not tell him everything just yet.

Louis gave the prince an understanding nod, then closed his eyes as he started. "My family on Earth... well they weren't a family, not really. I wasn't even supposed to be born. My mother got pregnant on accident, and on Earth there are still people who think it's wrong to abort an unborn baby, even when you don't want it, so I was born anyway."

Earth wasn't as advanced as Xandar then, Harry realized. But the thought of Louis never having been born was a terrible one, especially with how Harry felt about him.

"My parents were awful." Louis continued. "They hated me, and would tell me all the time that I was lucky to be alive, but I never felt lucky. Not when my father was beating me, or when my mother neglected me. They were the worst kind of people."

"Oh Louis," Harry whispered. He could see Louis choke up, and his story was making Harry emotional as well. How could parents act like this? How could somebody not love their child? How could somebody not love Louis?

"It got a little better when my sister was born." Louis said, and his face softened as he thought about her. "They actually wanted her and I loved her. My father was drunk, but he got a little better when Lottie came into our lives."

"You've a sister?" Harry asked, processing the new information.

"Yeah," Louis smiled. "I keep a picture of her with me at all times in my jacket, if you wanted to see."

Harry nodded and turned over so he could grab the jacket, which was lying on the ground by the door. He was quick about it, because he didn't want to leave Louis cold and out of his arms for too long. Harry settled back into his spot on the bed and looked at the picture. Louis was so young, and he looked like a tiny sprite with his sharp-toothed smile. The girl in the picture, Lottie, was practically a carbon copy, only a little chubbier. They were two of the cutest kids Harry had ever seen.

"She looks so sweet." Harry said. He turned around and carefully put the picture down on the stand.

"She was, is." Louis said. "Sometimes I wish I hadn't left her, but everyone is better off now, I think. I don't actually know what happened to her."

"You never tried to contact her?" Harry asked.

Louis shook his head. "I could never go back there. Not even for her. If I saw my parents again... well they think I'm dead, probably, so it wouldn't end very well"

"It's horrible how they treated you." Harry said. He kissed Louis, over his cheek and down his neck, silently comforting him. His hands wandered down Louis' side, and around his back to the scar, only stopping when he felt Louis go tense. "They did this to you, didn't they?"

Louis shied away from Harry's intense stare, biting his lip with the nerves. He nodded, slowly, and pulled Harry's hand away, holding it over his chest. "I was fine, I think, it was so long ago. I was playing around in the house, my mum was trying to make dinner. Dad already started drinking and he was yelling at me to settle down but... I didn't listen. There was a pot of boiling water on the stove and... when I didn't stop running around, my father kicked me. I fell and knocked water over and--"

Louis gasped, choking on his own words as he recounted the memory. He hated thinking about that night, and how he'd been treated. Harry could see that all of this talk was putting Louis in mental pain, so he pulled him close and shushed him. "You don't have to finish."

"I-I do, I want to," Louis sobbed, cuddling himself into Harry's broad chest. "Th-the water burned me, and I screamed but both of them told me to just shut up, that it was _my_ fault. They wouldn't even take me to the hospital until my crying got too loud and I was bleeding on the kitchen floor."

"My gods," Harry spat. "Those monsters. Baby, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, I'm fine. It's just, _god_ , I hated them, I hated living there so much." Louis whimpered.

"How did you end up here, though?" Harry asked. "I mean, with Yondu?"

"Um, on my ninth birthday, Yondu crash landed in the woods behind my house." Louis told him, voice going back to even. "I thought he was Santa Clause."

"What's that?"

"Just some myth on Earth," Louis said, laughing lightly. "There's a holiday, Christmas, where Santa brings all the good children presents. Really it's just the parents..." He left out the part where his parents very rarely gave him presents. "I went to go check on him and I met Yondu. I always loved space and astrology, and to have a real alien talking to me was astounding. H-He figured out what my parents did to me, though. There were fresh bruises on me, and he offered to take me away. He said no parent should treat their kid like that."

"So... he kidnapped you?" Harry asked, and he didn't mean to sound harsh. He was trying to understand.

"No, no it's not like that." Louis insisted. "I begged him to take me and eventually he just offered up this life. I had no idea what I was in for, but anything would've been better than staying with those people."

Harry traced two fingers under Louis' chin and turned his head up, once again looking at Louis' dull blue eyes. The sparkle was slowly coming back. "I'm glad you went with him. I'm so glad you're here, with me."

Louis felt such a surge of warmth in his heart, like an over powering wave of fondness. If everything that ever happened to him, good or bad, led him here, then he was thankful. Never in a million years would Louis ever think he could be laying in the arms of a Prince. " _Prince Charming_ ," Louis hummed and kissed Harry. He dragged it out slowly, so Harry could taste him, feel everything Louis was feeling. And it was all so much at once within Louis' heart and mind. It was all so overwhelming, what he felt in that moment. Even the movement of Harry's tongue against his was so much. Louis gasped out of the kiss, pressing his face to Harry's neck for safety. "S-sometimes I'm afraid I'll wake up one day and be nine years old again. It'll be Christmas morning and this entire life I've lived will have been a dream."

"Oh, Starlight--"

"You and Liam, Niall, and Zayn, everyone I've ever met won't be real. I'll have to live my life back with those people who couldn't stand me." Louis sobbed, fingers digging into Harry's chest.

Harry was about ready to breakdown with him. Louis had been through so much, and lost his savior all because of Harry. He couldn't imagine the life Louis had to endure, but it only further proved how strong this man was. Harry admired it so much. "This is real Louis, I'm real. I will never let someone hurt you like they did, I promise you. Especially after today."

"I know, god I know you won't." Louis sighed. he was so sick of crying. "A-and Harry, about today, I'm sorry I yelled at you, and hit you."

"There's no reason to--"

"No, hear me out." Louis said, wiping his eyes. "I-I did think about it a bit, and I know this is how Yondu would have wanted to go out. He lived for that shit. And I think dying to save me, and a royal like you, like a hero, is what he would have wanted."

"He would have done anything to protect you." Harry said.

"I know, and it still hurts, but... I think I'll be okay." Louis said quietly, scratching lightly at the base of Harry's neck.

"Of course you will be," Harry said. "You're so strong Lou, I don't know how you do it."

"Not so sure myself." Louis whispered. it was true that he never knew how he pushed on whenever something bad would happen. But now... maybe it was something about being with Harry, and hearing how much faith Harry had in him. Louis never had someone who would build him up so much, and just _listen_ to what he had to say. Louis never felt like he could trust someone enough to tell them all of his secrets. but here was Harry, who liked Louis so much, and was caring for him, even though there were so many issues in Harry's own life.

Louis didn't even realize Harry was staring at him, with this dopey-like smile, until he felt the prince's hand tracing down his cheek. He looked up at Harry, blinking a few times, and Harry saw the sparkle again. Louis' eyes were still faintly sad, but he was glowing under Harry. "Can I tell you something now?"

"Sure," Louis said with a tiny smile.

"Do you wanna know why I call you Starlight?" Harry asked, though he didn't wait for Louis to answer. "Because when I woke up in that hospital on Naboo, and before that even, when you rescued me from Tivan, I thought you were absolutely stunning."

" _Stop_ ," Louis groaned, covering his eyes. He was becoming utterly flustered at Harry's compliment.

"I mean it, though," Harry mumbled. "Louis, listen to me, if you were a star, you would be a supergiant."

"What does that even mean?" Louis asked. He knew what a supergiant was, but Harry was getting so cheesy on him.

"It _means_ ," Harry continued, smirking a bit at Louis' tone. "Supergiant stars are the biggest and brightest stars in the universe, and... that honestly what you are. And if I had to go through all that shit to get to sit in your presence, then I'm glad. And I feel so damn lucky."

Louis let out a faint, dry sob, because never in his life has anyone described him like that. And to hear it from a fucking prince of all people? It was like a dream. Another part of this life that Louis was becoming afraid to wake up from.

"I thought of something I've been wondering about since Naboo." Harry mumbled into Louis' neck, trying to keep the subject light. "What's this criminal ex-boyfriend of yours all about?"

"Oh," Louis said. This was a bit of a weak spot for him, because while his ex was a criminal, he'd been sweet and gentlemanly to Louis. "Um, his name's Greg, Greg James, and _well_ , he was pretty much an art thief."

" _Wow_ ," Harry laughed, quietly.

"Oh shut up," Louis huffed, playfully slapping Harry's arm around his waist. "He was _sweet_ , okay? But... he would steal valued and historic art pieces from one planet and sell them to others. His only mistake was that he ended up giving me a stolen, ancient necklace as a gift. It was on my Bounty radar... so we had a huge fight and I beat him until he was knocked out, and I turned him in."

"Didn't he know what you did for a living?"

"No, we never told each other," Louis said. "It wasn't a serious romance or anything. But Liam and-- _um_ , well, Liam won't let me forget about it."

Harry knew Louis was about to mention his dad, and by the way the man flinched, Harry knew Yondu was going to be a sore subject for a while. "Well, thank the Gods you've got me now. Went from an art thief to a prince, many will be jealous."

Louis started giggling, nodding his head to agree. "I'm pretty lucky, yeah."

His eyes were shining and maybe it was from all the reflecting sparkles coming off the stars outside, but Louis looked like his normal self again. "You're beautiful."

Louis rolled his eyes, still not sure what to do with all of the prince's compliments. "You're not too bad yourself, Prince Charming."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please please please leave comments and kudos <3


	11. Tears and Pain, but I Feel Celestial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter to date lol
> 
> chapter title from ["Shampain" by Marina and the Diamonds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vHi83LTQjU)

The planet Hoth was a pretty miserable one. For a very long time, many societies deemed it unsuitable to make a settlement on, because it was covered in snow, ice, and the harshest weather. Then forty years ago, a very rich family figured out that under a few miles of ice lay an entirely inhabitable arctic region. They colonized it, dug some more, and again discovered a near endless supply of natural fuels. The family, along with a few others, now run the business of trading with non-wealthy planets.

Niall knew one of the miners from the family, from a long way back, and they owed him a favor. It was perfect because Hoth had absolutely no business dealings with Coruscant or Xandar, and probably didn't even know about the invasion. It was the perfect hiding spot, for now.

They arrived very late in the evening for Hoth, and all of them were exhausted. Niall flew them in himself, having to turn the defrosters all the way up because of the ice formation. He took them into a long tunnel under a mountain, and after fifteen minutes of flying, they reached the nearly empty village. The total population of the entire planet was about four thousand, and most of them were settled in this very place.

It was pretty beautiful, though. It looked like a winter wonderland to Louis, like a palace made of ice and crystal. There was a clear, sparkling blue lake at the center. The village was something out of a fairy tale Louis must have heard when he was a kid. The complete opposite of the desert lands Louis was used to on Tattooine.

Louis didn't even think he had any winter coats to wear, and without some sort of cover, they could all freeze as soon as they left the ship.

"Niall?" Louis called as he joined Niall at the control panel. "We can't leave the ship. I don't have anything to shelter us from the cold."

"Don't worry," Niall said with a shrug. "I already sent a distress signal, and they're sending someone to help us with that."

"Oh, okay." Louis was about to leave, when Niall gently grabbed his elbow.

"Hey, how are you?" Niall asked seriously.

Louis sighed and clapped Niall on the shoulder. "Fine, I think. Better than I was at first, anyway."

"That's good," Niall replied earnestly. "But, if you need anything--"

"I know," Louis cut in. "Thanks, mate."

With that, Niall let Louis go, and he landed their ship in the main hangar, sending out another message so his connection knew they had arrived. Minutes later, Niall's connection entered the ship through a lower deck, bringing several fur coats with him. He was some sort of bear-like creature, that walked on two legs and spoke in grunts. Only Niall understood what he was saying.

"Hey Chew!" Niall greeted him with a tight hug. "Good to see you old man!"

The bear, Chew, grunted a few things and the two of them laughed loudly. Louis, Harry, and Liam all looked over to Zayn for an explanation, but he only smirked and shook his head. It was a mystery to him as well how Niall talked to Chew.

Niall handed out the coats to everyone and had a few more back and forths with Chew before, "Alright! There's a guest flat ready for us in the main building, three bedroom and full facility. We've also got access to everywhere except the marked restricted zones. Those are usually entrances to work centers, so we don't have a reason to go in 'em anyway."

The group followed Chew into the freezing, icy air, and made their way to the guest flat as fast as they could. Inside looked like a log cabin, only it was all metal. But there were animal skin rugs and fireplaces lit at every corner. Most of the other people walking around looked like Chew, and were members of the owning family. There were a few stray other species too, and Louis recalled where a few of them were from. Chew took them up a flight of stairs, then handed Niall the keys to the flat.

He grunted out a goodbye to each of them, that only Niall could really understand, then went back down to his work. When Niall opened the door, they filed in quickly to get settled down for the night. Even the guest flat reminded Louis of the country cabin his birth parents had.

"It's Gemma!" Harry gasped when his miniscreen started buzzing, quickly pressing the answer button while the others gathered around. "Gem?"

" _Oh thank the Gods!_ " Gemma sighed on the other end. " _Harry! I'm so glad I finally got to you!_ "

"Me too Gem," Harry said, voice cracking like he was ready to cry. Louis pinched Harry's side to comfort him. "H-how is everyone?"

" _Well,_ " She cleared her throat, and looked around like she was in the middle of a crowd. " _SFI and NOVA corps have cleared out a path to the palace, and we've gained back control of smaller areas. Mom and Dad are alright, but they're caught up still trying to rally our troops. Ashton... He's not doing so well._ "

"What's happened to him Gem?" Harry asked, subconsciously moving closer to Louis. "Have any of the remedies helped at all?"

She started to frown and shake her head, " _A little, but all the doctors say the only way he'll survive is if he gets the cure. He's got only weeks, days even, to live_."

"Shit," Harry swore, lowering the screen so he could wipe his eyes and face. He wasn't going to be able to save his best friend. How could he tell Gemma that her fiancé was going to die, because Harry was a failure? "Gem I--"

" _Please Haz, please tell me you got my message? Please tell me you all got the cure for him._ " Gemma pleaded and begged with him. Harry could hear all her pain and fear through her voice.

The prince looked around at the rest of his company. They were each looking at the crown Princess with pity and shame. None of them wanted to give her the bad news either. He couldn't tell her, not while she had to watch over their people and be a symbol of strength. He couldn't do this to her now. "Y-yes. We've got it safely on the ship."

Harry felt how the others immediately tensed, and went from pity to guilt, because they had to be in on this lie. But Gemma was smiling so wide, and Harry saw little tears of happiness fall from her eyes. " _Harry! Thank you, thank you so much!_ "

"Of course Gem." Harry said with a stony, cold voice. But she was happy, and she was hopeful, and it broke Harry's heart to know that she would hate him if she knew the truth.

Princess Gemma cried for a little longer, then dried her eyes with a handkerchief. " _Oh gosh, w-where are you all now? What quadrant rather, you shouldn't say the planet in case someone is listening._ "

"Right, um second quadrant." Harry told her. "When can we come home?"

" _I want to say as soon as possible, because of Ashton, but that's not realistic. SFI wants a little more stability in the controlled section before we can bring you back. Three days, Harry._ " She told him. Then Harry watched while she started walking, to a more secluded area no doubt. " _Haz, I-I love you very much, and I know you're just a victim in all of this--_ "

"Gem, I know people are saying I'm in on it." Harry said sadly. "I'm not, and I just want to go home and help you all."

" _I know, but there are still people in this very court who don't believe you're innocent._ " She named him, worrying her bottom lip. " _Dad had to send an old advisor to the prison just for suggesting it, this morning._ "

" _Gods_ ," Harry groaned. Even members of the royal court, people who knew Harry his entire life, were against him. "Dammit."

" _I didn't tell you to upset you_ ," Gemma said quickly. " _I just want you to be careful when you get home._ "

"I will be, Gem. When I get home I'll set everything straight." Harry told her. "Three days. Should I just set coordinates to the palace?"

" _Yes, I'll tell everyone you're coming back._ " She said. She waved to him one last time before saying her goodbye.

"Bye Gem. Everything will be okay." Harry said as he ended the call. He swore quietly to himself before he dared to look at the others. "I know what you're going to say--"

"You told your sister we have the cure?" Liam asked. He sounded annoyed for some reason, as if this lie was the end of the world. "What is the _Crown Princess_ going to do when we return empty handed?"

"I don't know!" Harry snapped, but Louis held him back from doing anything physical to Liam. "All I know is that if she thought for a second that Ashton really was going to die, it would kill her. Xandar needs their future queen to give them strength. She can't do that if she's heartbroken."

"You were thinking of your people, Harry. That's very noble," Louis assured him. He honestly wasn't all that okay with lying to a future queen, especially not when he's being paid by her. But this was also Harry's planet, and Harry had a right to make decisions for the good of his people too. Plus, Harry's been on Louis' side and taking care of him for two days, it was only fair.

"There could be consequences to lying to her." Liam said.

"We can't worry about that Li," Louis argued. "We did our best. We fucking lost someone in the process! There's nothing we can do that will change the situation."

"Guys, come on," Niall spoke up, putting a hand on both their shoulders to shut them up. "There's no use fighting with a royal, no matter how good of friends we are with 'im. We've got three days here, so just get some rest. Cool off from everything, because all this action's just made us all stressed."

Liam took a deep breath, and rolled his shoulder out of Niall's grip. "Right, sorry. I will be in my room for the rest of the evening, if you need me."

He stalked off to his room, frown still fresh on his lips. He didn't mean to snap at them, but seeing his family, and talking to Sophia again has made him miss them even more. He's going to miss so much if they stay on this job any longer. It's hurting him and making his chest ache to know that his family is living without him. But he knows deep down that Harry must be feeling the same, or worse even. At least Liam's family isn't in constant danger.

Back in the main room, Harry had begun to calm from the video call as well. They were all dead tired, and now they had three days to recollect themselves and recover from the past traumas. This was a good thing, Harry knew, but his heart longed to be home, and fighting to free Xandar. He felt Louis clutch his hand, intertwining their fingers, and the touch made Harry release a tense breath.

"Ni," Zayn mumbled as he grabbed Niall by the waist. "We should leave them alone yeah?"

"Um," Then Niall watched as Louis nodded his head, agreeing with Zayn. "Yeah, right. See you both in the morning."

Harry didn't respond while the two of them left to go to their own room, he could only look at Louis. Strong, beautiful Louis, who made Harry feel so much, most of all needed. Most of all safe.

"Prince Charming, you look like death." Louis sighed, pushing Harry's long curls out of his face. He left a kiss on Harry's cheek, and held him for a moment, letting the prince release his negative stress. Harry felt a bit boneless in Louis' arms, every muscle slowly relaxing. He needed this. "Come on, Haz. Let's go to sleep."

Harry nodded, kissing along Louis' neck for a moment, before he stood up straight, and draped one arm around Louis' shoulders. Louis kept an arm around Harry's waist as they walked to the last open bedroom. They hung their heavy coats on hooks by the door, and found some warm clothes already in the drawers. Louis put on a pair of soft, grey sweatpants and black and white patterned sweater, while Harry just put on a sleek black, long-sleeved shirt, and black pants. They cuddled up under the warm sheet, Louis' front pressed to Harry's back, and fell asleep within minutes.

+

Louis stretched out in the cold air, but instead of feeling Harry's warm body, he was met with emptiness. His eyes snapped open as he started to panic, because how could Harry just leave him? His nerves were stilled when he saw a small note left on Harry's pillow.

**Dear Starlight,**

**Good morning, woke up early and didn't want to disturb you. I'll be in the kitchen making tea.**

**~Prince Charming xx**

Louis sighed and smiled sweetly at the note. He got himself out of bed and brushed his teeth, then made his hair look somewhat decent. He rubbed at his cheeks, and made a mental note again to shave before they got to Xandar. He closed the door behind him as he walked to the kitchen.

The prince was sitting at a small table, hair up in a high bun, and eyes looking down at some article on his miniscreen. He looked up and smiled when Louis cleared his throat. "Morning."

"Same to you." Louis said shortly, as he poured himself a cup from the stove. He took a sip as he sat across from Harry at the table.

"How're you this morning?" Harry asked.

Louis shrugged. "Think I'm fine, I don't know. I mean, I still wish things had gone differently on Osiris, but nothing's gonna change it. What about you? I mean your talk with Gemma yesterday... that was interesting."

"Ha." Harry snorted. "I'm about the same as you. I want to go home now, but we've got to listen to her. She's the future queen and all that."

Louis frowned slightly at Harry's tone, as though the prince was reluctant to listen to her. "She's also your sister who loves you, and has a better idea of how to get you safely home."

"I know, it's just--" Harry stopped, shaking his head and looking out the window. It's just that sometimes I wish it was me who was next in line, if only to make decisions for myself. "Never mind. Can we change the subject?"

"Sure, Prince Charming." Louis said reluctantly. "But you should tell me what you were going to say just now, eventually. I told you everything about me so it's only fair."

"Oh, now I don't think you have." Harry said, smirking as he took a sip of tea.

"What?" Louis asked, face scrunching up in confusion. "What have I not told you?"

"Well, you see," Harry said quickly. "I like it, don't get me wrong, but I have no idea what 'Prince Charming' is. Is that an Earth thing?"

It had never occurred to Louis that perhaps Xandar had different fairy tales than Earth. It was weird to think about, really, how Harry didn't know about things that were basic knowledge for children on Louis' planet. "Er, yeah I guess it is. He's sort of this symbol from Earth fairy tales."

Harry shook his head, "I don't know what those are either."

"Okay, wow," Louis cleared his throat as he thought of a way to explain. "So, like, fairy tales are these really old stories told to children to teach them life lessons, or just entertain them. Prince Charming is just this general character in a lot of them. It's not the same prince in every story, but Prince Charming is the general name he's given, because usually the story focuses on the princess."

"And what's he like?"

"He's supposed to be near perfect." Louis said with a dreamy glint in his eyes. "Charming, obviously, and handsome, polite, romantic, just everyone's dream man. And in the stories, he usually represents the object of true love."

"And why do you call me Prince Charming?" Harry asked.

"You fit the bill, I guess." Louis said. "You're sweet, and handsome, and charming. I don't know, just the first time I saw you on the news, and I saw how the other Xandarians loved you, that's what I thought of."

"You know, that's a little sappy." Harry poked. "You're a sappy romantic, Mr. Louis Tomlinson."

"Shut up." Louis said, blushing again.

"Nope, I--"

Louis cut Harry off by leaning over the table and kissing him. It was only for a moment though, and then Louis sat back with a very satisfied grin. "Better not tell anyone, _Styles_. I've got a big, tough reputation to uphold. You could ruin me."

"Sounds like an activity I'd enjoy."

Louis kicked the prince's shin under the table. "You're the worst."

"Ow," Harry said with a wince. He leaned down and started rubbing at his newly sore shin. "Do you have a favorite fairy tale?"

"Yeah, it's a little silly though." Louis said quietly.

"Come on, do you really think I'd judge you at this point?" Harry asked sincerely. He sighed to himself and stood up, walking around the table to sit in the open seat next to Louis. "What version of Prince Charming did young Louis William Tomlinson fall in love with?"

Louis rolled his eyes, and turned in his seat to look straight at Harry. "Fine. It's called Cinderella, and... it's about this girl who had an evil stepmother and stepsisters who pretty much tortured her and treated her like their personal slave. They wouldn't let her go to this ball at the King and Queen's palace, so she was visited by her fairy godmother, who gave her a beautiful dress and turned some garden vegetables into a carriage and horses and shit. She said to Cinderella that everything was going to stay that way until midnight. The last thing Cinderella got were a pair of glass slippers--"

"Shoes made... out of glass?" Harry asked, his tone not at all judgmental.

" _Yes_ , excuse you." Louis snapped. "This is a magical story, Haz, and glass _slippers_ are magical."

"Okay, sorry." Harry relented, laughing a bit at Louis' pouty frown.

"Anyway. At the ball, Cinderella met Prince Charming, who immediately fell in love with her, and they danced all night and it was really beautiful and romantic. But midnight came around and she had to get home before all the magic went away and she was left in her rags, and before her step-family found out she was there. So, sadly, she had to run away from Prince Charming, and get home as fast as she could. One of those glass slippers fell off on the stairs and the prince found it but couldn't stop her from leaving."

"He should have tried harder."

"Just _wait,_ I'm not done yet." Louis said defensively. "The next day, Prince Charming went around to every single maiden's house to match the shoe to the right girl's foot to find Cinderella. Because I guess she was the only one with a foot that size... whatever, it doesn't really matter. So, he gets to Cinderella's house, and her stepsisters try it on, but it doesn't fit, and the prince is about to be sent away by the evil stepmother, but Cinderella comes out, tries on the shoe, and is reunited with the prince."

Harry waited while Louis paused, smiling at the sweet story. "And then what?"

"That's pretty much it. They got married and... and lived happily ever after." Louis finished, smiling fondly at the last line that he'd read so many times as a child.

"That's your favorite Prince Charming?" Harry asked.

"Not anymore." Louis smirked. "But, yeah I do love him. He was going to search the entire kingdom for her, so... he must have really loved her. I mean they only knew each other a few hours, but, like, that's just how all those fairy tales worked."

"I liked it, really." Harry assured him. He could understand how Louis might relate to Cinderella, and it made sense that Louis would want someone who would search the world for him. Harry started  thinking that he would do that, he would definitely go to the ends of the universe for Louis. It was a feeling that made Harry nervous, but he couldn't decide if it was a scared kind of nervous, or excited.

+

The day went by quickly for the most part. Since they had access to most of the base, there was a lot to explore. Liam stayed in the flat for most of the day, missing his family too much to want to look around. The others knew it was a good idea to let him be, since they didn't want another blow up like the first night.

Before sundown, Niall pretty much dragged the five of them, along with Chew, to watch a snow fight. It sounded boring to Louis, like they were going to watch some bear children have a snowball fight, but it was different. This was more of an ice fight, where the fighters made their own swords from ice and dueled each other. It wasn't lethal, or to the death, of course, just pure entertainment. The fight did what Niall hoped it would, lightened the mood of the entire lay-over trip.

Their night ended back in the guest flat, where they sat around a large, ventilated fire pit, eating meat from an animal that Louis thought of as being similar to an arctic seal. Zayn was in his most talkative mood yet, something that Niall was internally taking all the credit for, as he cackled on with some story about an old job.

"So then Niall says to him, 'But sir, you only paid for the _blue_ gem, so why would I give you the profit for the yellow?' and this old bastard got _so_ pissed!" Zayn shouted, while Niall nodded along, remembering the exact day. "He starts yelling at us about fine print and contracts, I'm like slowly inching to the door."

"Slowly?" Niall jumped in. "I'll say, you left me to take the heat while you took your merry time breaking open the lock."

"I got it open didn't I?" Zayn asked rhetorically. "You should have died so many times by now."

"Yeah, but I've got you to keep me alive, Twiggy." Niall said, patting Zayn on the cheek. They hadn't told the others about their newly relabeled relationship, but it was obvious. "And now that we're finally taking Prince Harry here home, we're gonna get a big fat pay day. You'll never have to get me out of danger again."

"Shit that's right," Harry said with a laugh. "You know, we've kind of gotten close, and I think of you as my friends. I nearly forgot you were _paid_ to save me."

"Yeah, but we like you Harry." Niall told him, using his foot to give Harry a gentle nudge. "I think we're all friends here, and as our friend, you should want us to be rich enough to retire before we're thirty."

Harry started laughing again, almost knocking Louis, who was resting against Harry's chest, over. "You're right, you're right. What are you all doing with your bounty money anyway?" Louis felt a very faint squeeze at his side, and he wasn't even sure if Harry meant to do it.

Across the fire pit, Niall looked right at Zayn and said. "We could go back to Naboo, you know? Take a proper vacation and all that."

"I did want to explore the jungle a little more." Zayn said. "We would have enough money to take a trip to the other Paradise Planets too."

"Fuck that's right!" Niall exclaimed. "Just take a good year and travel to all kinds of paradise. Then we can go back to my home planet and buy an island!"

"Why can't we just buy a nice mansion in the mountains? We could fix up one of those old castles, live like real kings. "Zayn suggested, downing the rest of his drink.

"But why not both?" Niall asked."We could probably still afford both."

"How much are you all making for me anyway?" Harry asked, confused by how expensive their suggestions were getting. He also wanted a nice ballpark of just how much he was worth.

"How much did you say it was all together, Liam?"

Liam, who had been off to the side, and still a little annoyed at the group. "Six billion when we combine the payment from Princess Gemma and your parents, then it was going to be split four ways, into 1.5 billion each."

" _Holy shit_." Harry moaned, brushing his hair, feeling very smug. "Well, glad to know I'm worth a real fortune. I would have felt pretty insulted if you were all going to be paid any less."

"Right? I might name an island after you." Niall continued. "Or maybe just a wing in our mansion."

Harry snorted. "You could always just visit me on Xandar, you know? When I'm back from SFI tours, we can throw huge parties together."

"Now that's my kind of plan!"

"You're gonna go back into Star Fight?" Louis asked, looking up at Harry curiously.

"Well, yeah. I'm technically still in it, only I'm MIA." Harry said. "What about you two? What are you going to do when you're rich?"

"Easy, I am going to live a better life with Sophia and Ava." Liam responded quickly. "We talked a bit about having other children too. Maybe expanding the tree house, who knows really."

"Li, did you talk to Sophia?" Louis asked. He knew what Liam was like when he was home sick, and he knew that Liam was acting more distraught over their extended job than normal.

"Yes," Liam sighed.

The others fell silent, watching him each with their own amount of worry and pity. Louis broke it. "So, that's why you yelled at Harry."

"Yes it is." Liam said as he stood up and walked over to Harry, kneeling in front of him. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was out of place."

"You really weren't Liam." Harry insisted, letting go of Louis so he could hold Liam by his shoulders. "We're friends here. We all miss our families. And you may not have it the hardest, but none of know what it's like to miss a spouse. I can't imagine it would be easy to be away from the love of your life for so long. You don't have to apologize for your feelings."

"Thank you, Prince Harry." Liam said graciously, bowing his head.

"And for the God's sake, Li." Harry started laughing. "Friends don't use titles or bow for each other!"

The others started laughing, more out of fondness than malice, and Liam took on an embarrassed smile. "Right, it will not happen again."

"Sure it won't," Harry said with a smirk. He secretly liked how formal Liam was, how it was some cultural quirk from Tarth. He patted Liam on the cheek gently twice, then leaned back in his seat, arm once again going around Louis' shoulders. "What about you Starlight? What do you want from your reward?"

_You_ , Louis' mind was quick to answer. It would have been so easy, right? Take the reward money, save it, and then stay with Harry. Prince Harry who was going right back into SFI when the invasion was taken care of. Also, Prince Harry who understood Louis like nobody else, and who was taking such good care of him. The person who made Louis feel safe, during all of this, and the one Louis was growing very attached to.

It's not like Louis had much of a home to go to anyway. Tattooine was Yondu's place, and now with Yondu gone, there was hardly a reason for Louis to go back. Maybe he'd have to stop by to sell the track to someone, and be there for the people who would be mourning, but he wouldn't stay. Louis had no home, he'd never had one in his entire life. And when _would_ he spend all of that money on? What was the point of all these jobs and adventures if he was going to be doing them alone?

He looked at Harry, and from the prince's expectant stare, Louis realized he'd been taking too long to answer the question. "Um, I don't really know yet. I-I have things I need to sort out, but... I just don't know."

"That's alright, mate." Niall said cheerfully. "You can hang with me and Zayn in whatever lavish mansion we pick up."

"Awe thanks, but I don't know if I want to interrupt your constant fucking in your expensive love nest." Louis said playfully.

Niall's eyes widened and Zayn burst out laying as he asked, "Oh shit! How the fuck did you know?"

"I was depressed, not deaf on the ship." Louis quipped. "Plus I saw you grab Niall's ass when we were going to the fight today. You two are so obvious."

"It's about time, though," Harry joined in. "I thought you guys were already together when we met."

Niall's face was turning from a mint green, to a darker one by the second. "Well, so what I was a bit slow on realizing things? Got my head out of my ass, and now I get to fuck the most beautiful creature in the galaxy."

"Oo, I wouldn't open up the 'most beautiful' debate." Harry said, voice jokingly cautious. "I think everyone in this room has a pretty valid argument for that."

"Sure, sure," Niall nodded, though he didn't agree. They were all pretty hot, but Zayn was almost surreally beautiful, And Niall was going to be the only one who made love with him, which was unfair to the rest of the universe, but oh well. Their loss. "It's getting pretty late, you know. And tomorrow is our last day here, so we should all rest or something."

The rest agreed, except Zayn, who knew he and Niall were probably not going to sleep any time soon. "See you all in the morning then."

Louis started laughing as he watched them jog to their bedroom and slam the door closed.

+

Their last day on Hoth went by quickly. Niall and Zayn were with Chew for most of it, setting up some sort of meeting later with their friend. They also used the archives to look up possible castles to buy on Niall's home planet. They weren't kidding when they said they were going to retire there. Liam went out with Harry and Louis to the shops, and he bought Sophia a gorgeous ice crystal necklace. He hoped it would be good enough to make up for leaving her for this long.

They all spent the night packing everything up, and making a few adjustments to the Donny. Niall put it on autopilot to the palace of Xandar, so they would go straight there in hyper drive.

All day long, Louis was thinking about Harry, and how Harry was going to explain to Gemma that they didn't have the cure. He thought about how Harry got very defensive when Liam confronted him about it, and he said he wanted to make a decision for himself? How could Harry not have control like that? Didn't he make the decision to join SFI? How could a prince not have any say in his own life, especially when he's not even going to be king? Maybe that was it, though. Harry wasn't going to be king, but he couldn't sit around and be a fuck up at the same time. Still, Louis wanted to know what was going on in Harry's mind.

He spread out across the bed they'd been sharing, while Harry stood at the window. Harry's shirt was off, and he was messing with the scarf he'd tied around his head, humming a soft tune to himself. Louis thought about life like this at the Xandar royal palace, the two of them relaxing before a big event. "Haz?"

"Yeah, Babe?" Harry responded, voice rough and tired. He was nervous about going home, all wound up from the stress of their mission. he turned to Louis, lips turning up to a small smile as he saw Louis lying on his side. A bit of Louis' sweater had rucked up and was showing his tummy. Harry wanted to kiss it.

"We have to talk now." Louis said nervously, picking at nothing on the duvet.

The prince didn't even have to ask what about. He knew Louis was going to ask about what Harry said their first night here. It would be the first time Harry talked about these things with anyone, but he wasn't afraid of scaring Louis off. He'd just never had someone willing to listen. "Right. Go ahead and ask."

"Come sit with me first." Louis said, scooting back a bit. Harry sat on the end of the bed, turning so he could look at Louis. "Why did you lie to Gemma?"

Harry took a deep breath, rubbing the palms of his hands over his eyes. "It's hard to explain, okay?"

"Try for me." Louis said sternly.

"I-I... I'm worried about her. She's never had to go through something like this before, except with me I guess." Harry said, mind frantically searching for an explanation. "I wanted to protect her from it all, and do her duty leading our people. I wanted to have some control over the situation for once."

"What does that mean?" Louis asked, sitting up so he was just leaning on one hand, grabbing Harry's shoulder with the other. "I understand wanting to protect your sister, but what's with this control thing?"

"I--" Harry cut off. He groaned and fell backwards on the bed, head resting on Louis' tummy. "I told you it was hard to explain."

"Then start at the beginning, Charming. Tell me everything you're feeling." Louis sighed, petting his hand through Harry's long curls.

"I feel so... inadequate." Harry whispered. He closed his eyes and thought hard, finally finding the will to let it all out. "I always have. Gemma is the eldest, she's going to be queen, and I always felt like an afterthought."

"Oh, Harry. I'm sure that's not true."

"It's not, not really. _Gods_ , I don't know." Harry mumbled, growing frustrated with himself. "My parents love me, I know that. But Gemma is more important in the long run. It's like, they always knew what Gemma was going to be, and they didn't know what to do with me. They didn't want me to end up being some no good brat, or an embarrassment. So I always had people telling me what to do.

They didn't even want me to join SFI at first, because they needed me to have a political career. I had to threaten to run away from Xandar just to join. Then when I got there... the other cadets were awful. They teased me and called me a fairy prince."

"I'm so sorry, Baby."

"But I loved the training. I loved having a sense of purpose for once. When I joined, my life finally got some meaning to it." Harry continued. "I was trained to protect. That's all I want to do. And even though _I_ know what's going to happen to Ashton, it feels good to know that I've kept her safe from reality. If only for a little while. Is that so bad?"

"No, Harry, it's not bad at all." Louis assured him. "You know, it's a shame you won't be king. You have all these natural protective instincts that would be so good for your people."

"Most of the time I'm glad I don't have to be. It's only when I feel like Gem is going to be hurt in some way, do I wish it was me instead." Harry said. he reached up and grabbed Louis' hand, bringing it down to his mouth so he could kiss the palm. "Our people don't seem to understand this either."

"They love you, Harry."

"They love the symbol of the royal family, and a bachelor prince, but I've seen the news stories." Harry said. "Imagine having half the world tell you that you should be grateful for being born privileged, and having no responsibilities. All while the other half calls you a spoiled palace prince because of it. No matter what, I can't win. I'm always going to be disappointing or not enough."

"You're enough for me, Prince Charming." Louis said softly. "More than enough. Fuck those other people."

"I'm tired of it all, Louis. I'm tired of listening to people and waiting around for my fate to be handed to me, you know?"

Louis couldn't help but laugh, "I'm sorry, but aren't you always following orders in the military?"

"I _told_ you it was confusing." Harry groaned, rolling over so he was looking up at Louis, cheek on his stomach. "I made that decision to join, that's where I got the control. And when I'm on a ship, I'm the navigator, I'm in charge of where we go and when the fighter shoots. That's all I wanted, a little something that was mine to take care of."

Louis stared down at his Prince Charming, not sure how to respond. Somehow, Louis knew from the start that Harry had to be on top of things. The prince couldn't deal with not having a firm grasp at whatever situation at hand. Louis understood that. He was a bit of the opposite. Louis lied having clear structure for what he was doing. On jobs, he needed the instructions of his mission, and he needed an idea of what to do. He went hand in hand with the prince.

"What about someone?" Louis asked in barely above a whisper.

"What?"

"You want to take care of something? Okay, I can help with that." Louis said more clearly. "If you want to get your mind off everything, you can with me. God knows I need to stop thinking for a little while."

" _Louis_."

"Come up here," Luis demanded, waiting until Harry crawled up, arms and legs bracketing Louis' body. "Please tell me what you want, do _anything_. Just only worry about me for a little while. I-I like it when you do."

"Oh, Baby." Harry moaned cock twitching in his pants at Louis' tone. He leaned down and started to lick and nip at Louis' neck. "Why? Tell me about this."

"I like feeling safe, because I hardly ever get to," Louis gasped when he felt Harry's lips on him. "I like that I can trust you, just give myself to you. And I'm more than willing if it will make you feel better. If it will make you happy."

" _You_ make me happy, Louis." Harry moaned as he rolled their hips together. "You do, you make me happy."

"Then show me, get our minds off everything. _Please,_ Your Majesty."  Louis whimpered.

Harry's hips stilled when Louis used his title. Fuck, why was that so hot? He looked up at Louis' face, at his wet eyes and blushing cheeks, at how beautiful he really was. This beautiful person wanted Harry to tell him what to do, and the prince wasn't about to waste that. He kissed Louis, quickly, then sat back on his knees between Louis' spread legs. "Don't touch yourself, that's all I ask right now. Let me take off your clothes."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Louis said with more confidence. He could see what calling Harry by his title was doing to him. He raised up his arms while Harry lifted off his sweater, then laid back while the prince removed his pants as well, leaving Louis naked and a little cold.

Harry's mouth went right to Louis' chest, kissing around both of his nipples, then down to Louis' tummy, where Harry bit down like he wanted to earlier. Louis was mewling from every touch of Harry's mouth, arms up and grabbing at the headboard. He wanted to be good and not touch until Harry said he could. The prince could sense this by the distressed sounds Louis was making, and it warmed his heart to know how hard Louis was trying. He was going to help Louis with that, make it easier for Louis to not worry about being bad, so that Harry could just take care of him.

"Starlight, be calm, yeah?" Harry whispered as he untied his scarf. "I'm gonna tie your hands up there, okay? I'll keep you tied up like that, so you only have to focus on me, then I'm gonna suck your cock really good. How does that sound?"

Louis smiled weakly, feeling how Harry's words made his arms un-tense. He hummed, "Mm, very good, Your Majesty."

"Why are you calling me by my title, Baby?" Harry asked as he wrapped the scarf around Louis' wrist a few times.

Louis started blushing, and he turned his face away. "I-I don't know. I just like it, I guess. You're so... so _regal_ all the time. You're like a king already to me."

Harry grinned at him, tying the final part of the scarf securely to the bedpost. "Yeah, like your king right?"

"Yes, I-I know you won't be one, but I can't get the image out of my mind." Louis said. He batted his eyes up at Harry a few times, biting on his lip nervously. Was it too weird for Louis to think of Harry like this? Or maybe Harry would take it to mean that Louis wished he _was_ going to be king, which wasn't how Louis felt at all. He liked Harry no matter his royal status, it was just this aura the prince set off when they were intimate. This way about him that made Louis want to please.

"That's okay, Starlight, I like it." Harry said, rubbing his thumb over Louis' swollen lips. "You'd do anything for your king, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, Harry, anything."

"You won't come until your King has fucked you good, will you?" Harry asked. It was a one option question, but he knew Louis would get the answer right.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Louis whined, canting his hips up. He let out a relieved sound when his hard cock rubbed up against Harry's middle.

Harry slipped one of his hands between them, stroking Louis while he kissed his neck and continued to mumble, "Are you going to come when I suck you, Starlight?"

"N-no," Louis whined, hands squeezing the scarf at almost painful angle.

"Are you going to tell me when you're close, so I know when to stop?" Harry asked, hand moving slowly.

"Yes, yes Your Majesty." Louis gasped, body twitching upwards toward the prince. "P-please, Hazza, put your mouth on me, I-I want it."

"Hey, hey Baby, you're okay." Harry said, kissing Louis quiet. "I'm taking care of you, yeah? So, I'll make you feel good. Just be patient. "Harry let go of Louis, but the man nodded and stilled his body. He looked so good like this, all flushed and almost as pink as Harry naturally was. Just completely beautiful, and completely at Harry's demand. Harry's feeling so much, some fondness and a bit of something else that he can't quite place. But that other feeling is filling Harry up, making him warm, and tingly inside, making it hard to just leave Louis untouched.

Harry scooted back down Louis' body, taking a second to bite Louis' nipples on his way to his cock. Louis squeaked and squirmed again, hard cock dribbling out a squirt of precum. Harry licked it up, taking the head in his mouth and sucking hard. The prince's plump lips looked obscene on Louis' cock, and even more so when he took more of Louis inside.

Louis moaned and subconsciously spread his legs wider, which only made the prince grab him by one of his knees, throwing it over his shoulder. Louis wasn't as big as Harry, so the prince was able to deep throat him easily, teasing Louis with slow, careful bobs of his head.

" _Oh_ , M-majesty," Louis moaned, back arching when Harry sucked harder. He wanted to grab Harry by his long hair and hold him there. He wanted stimulation on perky nipples. Most of all, Louis wanted Harry inside him, whether it was his cock or his fingers, Louis didn't care. "E-empty."

The prince smirked around Louis' dick, realizing what he meant immediately. Still, it was fun to keep him on edge. He pulled off with a pop, "What was that, Starlight?"

Louis sucked in a nervous, shy breath, pressing his lower body up. "I-I said I feel empty."

" _Oh_ , you want something inside you?" Harry asked teasingly.

Louis' chest was burning with need. " _Yes_ , please Harry your fingers."

"I don't know, you might come if you have something in you right now. I'm not done playing with your sweet cock." Harry said, tracing a finger lightly up a vein on Louis' dick.

"I won't come, Your Majesty," Louis insisted. "I promise I will tell you when I'm close."

Harry still wasn't sure, but he could see in Louis' red-rimmed eyes how much he needed it. If Harry was going to take care of him, then he couldn't leave Louis hanging like this. It had to be good the whole time. "Alright, Baby. Give me a minute."

With one last stripe of Harry's tongue up Louis' cock, he let go to try and find lube, and hopefully some sort of protection. The dresser on the left side of the bed, thankfully, had a generic brand bottle of lube, but Harry couldn't find any condoms.

"Baby?"

"Fuck, yeah?"

"Um, I don't think we have any condoms in here."

Louis' unsteady breaths went silent as he chewed on his bottom up, thinking. "W-we don't need one."

Harry moaned, mind immediately picturing what it would be like to fuck Louis raw. he was going to feel every inch of his lover, and come inside him, it made Harry feel like an animal. "That's, Gods that's so hot Louis. You've no idea."

"I do, though," Louis groaned. "I know how hot it is. I know how hot it's going to be when you come inside me."

" _Shit_ ," Harry couldn't breathe, Louis was so much. He quickly coated the fingers of his right hand with lube, then left the bottle on the bed. "Exactly what I'm gonna do Baby. I'm gonna come in your pretty arse, make you mine."

"I am yours, _oh,_ " Louis gasped when Harry entered the first finger, simultaneously taking Louis back into his mouth. "I-I am yours."

Harry hummed around him, sucking down like his life depended on it. He wanted to drive Louis crazy, give him a taste of how Harry felt. With his left hand, the prince stretched Louis' right leg up and out, opening him up more for his fingers. Louis was slowly coming undone, pleasure coursing through him from Harry's mouth. Harry pressed a second finger inside, just as he clenched his throat around Louis, and the man let out a broken cry.

He was so beautiful to the prince, and it only made the new feeling in Harry's heart grow stronger. Harry watched Louis' chest rise and fall rapidly while he pleasured him, watched the beads of sweat roll down his body. There was nothing in Harry's world but this, nothing but Louis in his sight. Harry dropped his leg to the side, still bobbing his head slowly, as he started to scissor Louis open. He reached up and pinched two fingers around Louis' left nipples, smiling a bit at the needy moan that came out of his mouth.

"Oh yes, yes, yes Your Majesty." Louis whimpered, turning his head to the side to bite onto his own bicep. He could feel heat coiling low on his stomach, he knew he was going to come. But  Louis also knew that Harry wanted him to wait, and he'd promised he wouldn't come. "S-stop, M-Majesty-- _Harry_! I-I can't--"

The prince pulled his fingers out and let up off Louis' cock immediately. He rubbed along Louis' thighs, picking up sweat on the tips of his fingers. "Good Baby, good for not coming, good for warning me."

Louis was catching his breath, letting the feeling flow away. Harry's gentle words calmed him so much. "Thank you, Harry."

"Of course, Baby, but I gotta put my fingers in again." Harry soothed. "You're so tight, and I need to open you a bit more."

Louis nodded his head to agree. He remembered very well how big Harry's cock was, and how hard it was to take at first. "Right, okay."

"You won't come, right?" Harry asked, smiling when Louis shook his head quickly. "That's right. I know you won't my good boy."

Louis shook his head, voice getting lost when he felt Harry's fingers enter him again. He smiled, eyes going soft and closed while Harry opened him. The prince avoided his prostate, to make it easier for Louis to hold back his orgasm, and started to kiss up and down the column of Louis' neck. He was so soft and smooth most places on his body, that it made the scratch of his beard all the more exciting on Harry' cheeks. Louis was just lovely, every part of him.

Could that be it? Harry was starting to understand how Louis made him feel, and it was... a little scary. Harry didn't want to put a name to it yet. The last of his slicked up fingers fit snug inside Louis, and by then the bounty hunter was pliant and warm. He'd given up the fight against his restraints, his hands hanging loosely in the scarf.

Louis was loving this. He loved giving in and doing what Harry wanted. he loved submitting himself to the prince, _his_ prince. _My King_ , Louis thought. King of their little world, their little bubble, where Louis loved him and would do anything. _Oh god, I love him_.

"H-Harry," Louis moaned. He wasn't going to tell Harry that he loved him, not yet. Maybe not ever once they got to Xandar, because Harry won't need Louis then. Not like Louis needs him now. "Your Majesty, e-enough. You said you'd fuck me."

"I know I did, I wouldn't lie to you." Harry assured him. He grabbed at Louis' chin, tilting his head up so he could kiss him, fingers slipping out and wiping on the bed. Harry sat back on his knees, slowly and tenderly moving his hands up and down Louis' legs, enjoying the view. "I could look at you like this forever, Baby."

Forever was a promise too big for Louis to believe. Forever was as big as the ever expanding universe, longer than the life of a star. Forever went past their landing on Xandar, and Louis really couldn't imagine Harry meaning this. He'd never had forever, just very limited time, in very limited space, and it was really nobody's to promise. Louis could believe Harry for now, he could play along with the prince's loaded words.

Harry took his cock in his hand, stroking up and down a few times while he looked deep into Louis' darkened eyes. The prince pushed inside, and saw how Louis' face scrunched up from the pain, but Harry didn't want to stop, entering until he was all the way in. One of his pink hands pushed Louis' right leg out, opening him up even more, while the other brought Louis' left above his shoulder. It still amazing the prince how tight Louis was inside, but it worked. It felt so right.

"This is perfect, Starlight. You feel perfect." Harry moaned as he started up a slow pace from his hips. He pulled halfway out, then eased himself back in, rotating in circles inside Louis.

Louis' mouth went to bite at his arm again, breath catching every time Harry hit that spot inside him. Little 'oh's escaping every time he felt a spike of pleasure. It was sweet, it wasn't what Louis thought bondage was supposed to be like. But Harry knew best in that moment, and Harry needed this.

That is until Harry swore suddenly, dropped both of Louis' legs, and changed the angle for them. He moved harder, a little faster, and loomed over Louis with his arms straight out. Louis' eyes were closed but he could feel Harry's hot breath coming closer to his chest. And then Harry bit him, lightly, on his peck,  tonguing around Louis' nipple. Louis squeaked, squirming his hips up, eyes snapping open to look down at the prince.

"M-Majesty, _oh_ , that feels so fucking good." Louis whined, throwing his head back.

Harry smirked and suckled down on the nub, while his hand started pinching and rubbing at the other. He sped up the thrusts of his hips and moaned against Louis' chest at just how tight, how hot Louis was inside. "Yeah, Starlight? How's it make you feel?"

"So good, Your Majesty. You fuck me so good." Louis whimpered, crying out as Harry hit his spot harder. They were in perfect sync when Louis started to roll his hips up to meet Harry.

Then Harry got an idea, and really hoped Louis could be up for it. "Baby? I'm not gonna touch your cock tonight--"

"W-what?" Louis asked, voice out of breath.

"Sh, sh, Baby, you're gonna come without it." Harry said, soothing Louis. "I know you can do it."

"I-I-- _oh fuck_ , I don't think I can." Louis gasped. "But, I'll try for you."

"That's all I, _shit_ , ask Baby." Harry grunted, setting his arms on either side of Louis. "If you really can't do it, then I'll help you."

"Thank you, _ahh_ ," Louis continued to cry out, pleasure humming through him form every inch of Harry inside. He didn't know how he was supposed to last much longer. Louis had stars in his eyes as he looked up at the prince, his prince. Harry was his, Louis could feel it whenever they touched, with every grunt from Harry's mouth. And Louis was the prince's as well.

They were both overwhelmed with pleasure, Louis' high pitched whimpers leaving his sweet lips faster and faster. Harry's thrusts were growing sloppy, and he knew he was close, leaking inside Louis, as he kept playing with Louis' sensitive nipples. "You close, Baby?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Louis shouted, hands yanking down on the scarf and it was a miracle the thing hadn't torn yet. "Hazza, I can't do it on my own, _please_ touch me."

"No, Louis." Harry grunted. "You can do it. You'll be so fucking hot when you do, Louis. Just a bit more."

"I-I can't, please Your Majesty," Louis begged. Tears began to leak from how much his cock hurt. it was hard as rock and curved up to his tummy, and Harry wasn't touching at all Louis hurt, he was desperate, he wanted to burst, but he just couldn't. " _Please_."

"Alright, Baby, you're okay." Harry said, slowing when he could see that Louis was feeling more pain than pleasure. Harry smirked, and placed his large hand on Louis' lower tummy, the different colors shining from their sweat, and pressed down hard.

Louis almost screamed. Almost, because Harry saw it coming and was quick to cover Louis' mouth. But Harry was pressing down and stimulating him from both sides, and Louis felt so good that he came on the spot. His eyes rolled back, and his body convulsed with the pleasure, cock squirting over his tummy, neck, Harry's hand, and he melted into the pleasure.

"Holy shit." Harry groaned. He'd never seen anything like it, and wasn't far behind, cock emptying inside Louis.

They both took long to come down, and Harry made sure to untie Louis before he let his spent body finally rest. Louis whimpered when Harry pulled out and shook as the prince's spunk started to leak. Harry sat up and licked his lips hungrily as he stared at Louis' hole, red and wet with come. It would have been easy for the prince to bend down and lick the come out of Louis, maybe him his lover to another orgasm. It was too much for that night, Louis was already wrecked and tired.

Instead, Harry grabbed the scarf, that was already in bad shape from Louis' hands, and used it to clean Louis off. He left a gentle kiss wherever he could on Louis' body, and was careful to not hurt him while he cleaned down below. When Harry finished, he dropped the ruined material onto the floor and draped himself over Louis' body.

"That was amazing. I mean it Louis, that was unlike anything. I've ever seen." Harry moaned, petting through Louis' soft hair.

Louis wrapped his limbs around Harry, and he hummed happily into his neck. "Me too, Prince Charming. _Never_ had it that good. How do you feel about everything now?"

Harry tensed. "God I--" He choked up. Harry felt better, he loved being with Louis like that, and while it helped make his thoughts of having the throne go away, the fact still remained that his best friend was dying. Here Harry was, falling in love, and Ashton was going to be gone any day. He felt it all at once, his future loss, how he'd lied to Gemma, and all the negative emotion spilled over.

Louis felt Harry trembling, "No, no Harry it's okay."

"What's wrong with me?" Harry sobbed, tears falling down his cheeks.

" _Nothing_ , nothing at all. You are a person who is doing his best in a messed up situation." Louis said, rubbing Harry's back tenderly. He loved him so much, even in that short time, and it hurt that he couldn't fix Harry's pain. "Sh, Prince Charming."

Harry's head turned and he caught site of Louis' swollen, and red wrists. Harry gasped and grabbed one of them, "Oh _Baby_ , I did that to you."

"It's okay, I'm fine." Louis said, placing his hand on the prince's instead. "You made me feel good. You did not hurt me."

"You're amazing Louis, really." Harry mumbled. The other thing he wanted to say was kept quiet, inside his own mind. He was going to tell Louis he loved him, truly, but when they were back on Xandar, at the right moment. Harry kissed him, and carelessly threw the sheet over their bodies, holding onto Louis.

They were thinking the same thing. _I love you_. They were on the completely same page, honestly they usually, unknowingly, were. Their little world was in sync and nearly perfect, if they would only speak up.


	12. An Orbit Burning, Sparkling, Attracting, Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter goes a bit slow (until the very end) because it's setting up for big action in the next one.
> 
> Chapter title from ["Satellite" by The Dollyrots](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqnky80jJts)

Something very important to know about Louis, is that he hardly ever got his way, and he was used to life being that way. He had this grand delusion in his mind where he stayed with Harry on Xandar or on adventures in the vast mystery of space. Louis had his fantasy, and was content with knowing that it probably wouldn't work out to anything. This sort of understanding of his fate allowed Louis to never be set up for disappointment. It allowed him all these years of drifting around and living a fairly easy life. No mess, no heartbreak.

But now his damned heart had to go and get attached to a prince of all people. And with that, he added hope to his fantasy. A hope that it would one day become true. Hope was for the fortunate, of which Louis was not.

It took nearly a full day to make it to Xandar, and everyone on board the Donny was anxious. Harry especially couldn't stop pacing the floor of the cockpit, looking over Zayn and Niall's shoulders every few minutes to see how close they were. Liam sat up top with them, cleaning off a few of Harry's belongings. It was Louis who stayed away from the group, but only to make himself a little more presentable.

He was going to be meeting royalty, and Yondu always taught Louis to look his best for them. He always kept a set of semi-formal wear in his bunk for these such occasions. But he had other motivations for dressing this way, of course, Louis wanted to look nice, good enough, for Harry's parents. Even if he wouldn't get to stay with the prince after today, Louis was going to make sure to leave an impression.

He started by taking a long, hot shower, getting every single particle of dirt off his skin. Then Louis shaved like he'd wanted to for days, and god did that make a difference. He looked years younger, and fresh faced, as if all the horrors he'd been through in the past couple weeks never happened. Louis rubbed around the smooth skin, smiling to himself at how good he looked with his more well defined cheekbones. He always preferred to look this way.

_Harry's gonna love it too_ , Louis thought, eyes sparkling at the idea. _He's not gonna be able to keep his hands off me_.

There was something very satisfying about knowing the effect Louis had on men when he cleaned himself up. He thinks most of them liked to have something delicate to kiss, something pretty, which Louis definitely was. He dried his hair, shaking it out a few times, then styled it neatly. He looked so hot it was ridiculous.

He quietly made his way to his bunk, and dropped his towel to the ground once the door was shut. The cold air gave him goosebumps, so he dressed quickly. He put on a white button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and tucked it into a pair of navy dress pants, that were a little tight around the back. It would just make for another great impression into Prince Harry's memory.

Just as Louis sat down on the bed to put on some shoes, he could feel the ship shake, entering into the atmosphere of Xandar. They would be landing any moment now, so Louis had to hurry and finish getting ready. Once his shoes were tied, Louis stood up, a bit too quickly because his arse stung, still sore from last night with Harry. Louis sort of liked it, though, because it reminded him of just how great their sex was. Probably the best.

He was just hooking together his gun belt when they landed, and he heard voices outside the bunk. Harry was outside, asking where Louis was, but he sounded too excited to be home to wait. Louis understood, he would have been the same way.

 

 

 

"Louis must still be in his bunk, you may go ahead, Prince Harry." Liam said as he opened the ship's door.

"Okay, don't let him take too long." Harry said. His body was humming with excitement, he could feel every inch of anxiety being replaced with relief. He was finally _home_ , and he was going to see that his family was _safe_. On top of that, he was in love, a fact he was going to tell Louis that night, hopefully.

As soon as Harry stepped out of the ship, he could see SFI and NOVA corps uniforms all around. They all stilled, and greeted him with cheers, which Harry felt was undeserved. They were so happy to have their prince home safe. From his left side, Harry was embraced by a group of laughing, smiling SFI officers, the men and women from his unit. He started laughing with them, making sure to greet and hold each one.

"Fuckin' hell, Harry!" One of the officers shouted, a fellow navigator like Harry. "You royals sure like your trouble!"

"Awe fuck you," Harry joked, slapping the officer on the back. "Sorry everybody wants me so much."

"Yeah, sure--"

"Harry!" A female voice shouted over the crowd, and Harry turned around to see his sister running towards them. "Thank the Gods, you're back!"

Harry smiled so wide his face hurt, as he opened up his arms and picked Gemma up in a tight hug. "Gem! I'm so happy to see you again!"

"Me too Haz, me too." She said, happy tears falling from her eyes. "Mum and Dad will be out soon, but where are the others?"

Her question was answered when Niall and Zayn emerged from the ship, earning their own round of applause. They both smiled and waved, basking in their little bit of glory, while the officers walked up to shake their hands. Liam was out next, looking a little embarrassed about the spectacle, even more so when he saw that the prince was smiling at him.

He walked down the ramp, bowing to the royal siblings. "Your Majesty, Princess, um, it is an honor and a pleasure."

"The pleasure is mine, good sir," Gemma said graciously. "You helped save my brother, really. You must be Liam Payne? The friend to Louis Tomlinson?"

"Yes, Majesty, I was happy to help an ally of Tarth," Liam said in his usual formal voice.

"Oh please, after what you have done you may call me Gemma," The princess said with a bright smile.

"Oh, Gem," Harry started laughing, clutching at Liam's shoulder. "I've been trying to get him to lose formalities since we met."

"I think it's very sweet, you were obviously raised proper." She said. "But where is Louis Tomlinson?"

"Hm, he's just--" Harry stopped when he saw Louis exit the Donny. Louis had shaved and his face looked so _smooth_ , and he was... so pretty. Harry's jaw dropped at how beautiful Louis looked all cleaned and dressed up. He had on this white shirt that was left open at the top, showing off his collarbones, and these pants. These dark blue pants that fit so snugly on his hips, and probably his arse, _oh gods_ \--

"Harry?" Gemma said, shaking her hand in front of his face.

The prince blinked a few times, then shook his head and looked down at his sister, eyes still a little wide. "Th-that's him now."

Gemma turned her head in the direction the prince was looking, "Oh, my he does look different."

"Yeah," Harry said breathlessly. He couldn't take his eyes off Louis as the man walked down the platform. He'd actually dressed up to meet Harry's parents, to met royalty, and it was classy, and hot as hell for the prince.

Louis smiled and waved to them, closing the ship's doors once he was off the platform. "Princess, great to see you again, finally."

He went to shake her hand, but she pulled him into a hug instead. "Same to you Louis! Thank you so much for this, really."

"Well, you two are pretty familiar already," Harry said with a tight smirk.

"Well, your sister did sort of have me jumped on the street in order to get a meeting." Louis replied, patting Gemma's back.

"Gem!"

"What?" The princess asked laughing along with Louis.

"You couldn't have just had him summoned?" Harry asked.

"I was trying to keep it a secret from our parents." Gemma said with a shrug. She let go of Louis and linked her arm with Harry's. "Speaking of which, they're in the throne room awaiting your return."

"Of course it would have been too dangerous for them to meet me out here like you." Harry said bitterly, ignoring his sister's frown. He looked over his shoulder at Niall and Zayn, who were still with the officers, and shouted, "Come on my big strong heroes, we've got places to be!"

The two said goodbye to the officers and followed everyone into the grand palace. Guards and royal court members clapped as they walked through the main hall, though a few mumbled suspiciously at the sight of the prince. Harry ignored them, because he knew whatever they were saying was completely false. They didn't have the influence to turn the story their way, anyway, especially since those specific court members were known for not being the biggest fans of the royal family. Harry was going to address the rumors that he was a traitor at a later  time.

The doors to the throne room were opened by two servants, and inside, the King and Queen waited in their seats. Queen Anne was on her feet in seconds holding up her dress as she ran to her son. "My Baby!"

"Mum," Harry said, holding her close in his arms. He could really cry from seeing her like this. "It's so good to see you."

"You too, Baby," Anne mumbled. She wiped a few of her own tears away, just as the king joined them behind her. "Y-you look healthy, everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now," Harry said, looking back at his new friends. "Had the best help in the galaxy."

"Yes, Gemma told us how hired two more to help you." King Robin said, hugging Harry as well. He directed his attention to Louis, shaking his hand with a firm grip, then Liam's. "I was confident in Mr. Horan and Mr. Malik's abilities, but it was very reassuring to know more people were on the mission. We'll compensate you accordingly of course."

"Thank you, Your Grace," Liam said, bowing. "I believe I speak for all of us, when I say it was an honor to have the trust of your family in this."

"Yes sir," Niall spoke up. "It wasn't an easy job, but we're happy to help."

"Thank you all very much." Robin said again. "Now for some more troubling news I'm afraid. You might have not had trouble getting in, but Coruscant knows you are here, it will not be safe for you to leave this night."

Louis watched while Liam's entire face drained from its lilac color. "A-are you sure?"

"We are very sorry, you've done so much," Anne said apologetically, placing a hand on Liam's shoulder. "You must understand, we are doing our best to keep the casualties of this invasion to a minimum. We do not want your home planets brought into an unnecessary war, should Coruscant try to attack."

"How long are we to hide here then?" Liam asked, doing his best to keep calm around the royals.

"Only days." Robin said. "You are welcome to our guest chambers until then."

Liam nodded, backing up from them, unbelievably upset. All he wanted was to get his earned money and go home. Why must there always be something to keep him from doing so?

Gemma stood silently off to the side, fidgeting with her hair. "Um, there is one little thing. W-where is the Kisenian, Harry? Where is the cure for Ashton?"

Harry's heart stopped, because there it was; the question he was dreading since Osiris. And he would have had to come clean, too, if it hadn't been for Zayn finally coming forward in a hurry. "Here! Hold on!"

The hybrid held out his palm and from it grew up a small orange and red flower, blooming right before their eyes. Gemma squeaked in surprise, sobbing a little as he picked it and gave it to her. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" She held it carefully in her hands, like it was the most precious jewel in the world, which it was to her. "W-we have to take this to him now, come on."

"We'll be right behind you." Harry said, letting the others go ahead, but keeping Zayn and him walking a few feet behind. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Honestly, I forgot." Zayn said sheepishly. "With all the commotion that happened with Yondu and Louis, I forgot that I put a few seeds in my roots. As soon as we landed I remembered, then I just waited to reveal it at the most dramatic time."

Harry started laughing as he threw an arm around Zayn's shoulders. "You're the _worst_ , but I could kiss you."

"Don't think Niall or Louis would like that very much." Zayn joked.

They followed Princess Gemma through a hidden door at the back corner of the throne room, and down a darkened hall to where Ashton was being kept. He was in a small bed, surrounded by doctors, and worse off than Harry ever thought. His once vibrantly orange skin was a sickly pale color, he was covered in sweat, and all the veins in his arms and neck were back from the poison. Harry's stomach churned at the sight.

"By the gods, Ash." Harry whispered. He pushed through and sat down on an empty stool next to the bed. "You look like shit."

Ashton coughed a few times, heavily, and he smiled as if to laugh, but it hurt too much. He opened his eyes slowly and coughed some more when he saw Harry. "Gods, must be a fuckin' miracle. You're actually here, mate."

"Course I am, you didn't really think Coruscant could get me that easily, did you?" Harry said with a smirk.

"Well, they did get you easily." Ashton said with a sore voice. "But I knew they wouldn't keep you. Where'd they take you, anyway?"

"Knowhere, sold me to Tivan." Harry said, shuddering at the memory. He looked around at the other men, his rescuers, as he said, "Was pretty bad until they showed up. We had to destroy the entire place, and I'm pretty sure Tivan is dead."

"Damn," Ashton sighed. "That's badass, guess the team we put together worked too well."

"Nah, they worked perfectly." Harry told him. One of the nurses whispered to Harry that everyone had to clear the room, so they could produce and administer the cure. He nodded sharply, looking back down at Ashton. "I'll tell you more about it when you're better. There's um," He glanced up at Louis, "a lot to tell."

"Sure mate, just glad to see your face," Ashton said, almost out of breath. He slumped back on the bed, eyes closing because of his exhaustion.

"Yeah you to Ash." Harry sighed. He sat for a moment longer to watch his friend breathe, and only got up when he felt Gemma's hands on his shoulders.

"Come on, Haz, let's leave him be," She looked and sounded like she was going to cry as she lead them back out. Once she closed the door behind them, the princess collapsed into Harry's arms. "That's the most he's said since it happened."

"Gem, hey, it's okay," Harry cooed, petting her hair. "He's going to be okay."

"I know, I'm very sorry," She sobbed. "You're all not supposed to see me like this."

"We understand, Princess." Louis said quietly. He wished it would be appropriate to hold her with Harry, because Louis understood more than anyone how she was feeling.

"Yeah, Gem," Harry whispered. "Maybe you should rest tonight, yeah? I think everyone will understand."

"Right," the princess sniffled. She parted from Harry and wiped her eyes. "Th-thank you all, really, you've done so much for us."

"You do not have to keep thanking us, Princess." Liam said. He walked past Harry and linked arms with the princess, much like the gentleman that he is. "We could not stand by in your hour of need."

She smiled up at him as they all walked together, Harry's hand sneaking up to Louis' lower back. "Gemma took them through a new door and into a vast hallway, with marble walls and royal paintings of past monarchs. "The guest hall is this way, we had some rooms set up as soon as we got in contact with you."

"You don't have to stay in there, you know?" Harry whispered to Louis, only loud enough for the two of them to hear. "You can stay in my room."

Louis smiled, biting his bottom lip to keep from blushing too hard. "As nice an offer as that is, I don't I should be sleeping with you here just yet. Doesn't seem very appropriate."

Harry did his best to hide his laughter at Louis' coy tone. "Oh, but last night _was_ appropriate?"

"Last night we weren't in the royal palace with your parents just down the hall." Louis sneered, elbowing Harry in the side. "You've spent many a night in your room without even knowing me, you'll be fine."

_But I don't want any more nights without you_. "Oh, alright. Whatever you want, Starlight."

+

The day turned into the evening quickly, and Louis had only just settled when a servant of the castle summoned him to banquet. He was in the middle of a very comfortable nap on probably the softest bed he has ever felt, too. But a royal banquet sounded like a nice reward, and it meant spending time with Harry and his family, so Louis got up and went.

Everyone was gathered around a large, circular table, even a few colorful court members and military officers were there, but not Princess Gemma. She was Ashton that night while he healed from the poison. It gave Louis the idea that it wasn't a normal, celebratory dinner, it felt a lot more important. Even Harry looked nervous as Louis took empty seat next to him. The prince immediately placed a hand on Louis' thigh, hidden by the table from the others, and squeezed down.

"What's going on? Everyone looks so... tense." Louis whispered.

Harry let out a deep sigh. "Father is going to be making a few announcements. I can't imagine they will all be good."

Just as Louis was about to respond, the king stood up, silencing the murmurs in the room as he did. He looked around with an intense frown and an aura of power. "Thank you for joining us in the celebration of the return of our Prince Harry." He said with a deep commanding voice. "Lord Ashton has been cured, though our doctors say he will be weak for some time. We have much to thank for of these guests. The four of you, however, will not be compensated until this conflict with Coruscant is resolved, at least here on Home planet. I'm afraid our funds are all tied into the war effort."

Niall and Zayn looked disappointed, while Liam just shook his head, a second away from becoming uncivil. Louis didn't mind, the longer he got to stay with Harry, the better. He was really starting to not care about the money.

"I will say that our attack on the Coruscant invaders will be initiated tomorrow, early in the morning. SFI will lead an assault on the minor ships and hopefully take out the mothership, which should make their forces retreat." The kind continued.

There were whispers, full of nerves, around the room, and Louis heard Harry swear next to him. Next thing he knew, the princess was standing up and interrupting his father. "I want to join the attack."

"Harry!" Queen Anne gasped. "You only just returned."

"I know, but what kind of prince and SFI officer would I be if I sat on my arse during all of this?" Harry snapped. "We'll get me a new Fighter and brief us tonight. I'm not sitting this out."

Louis was stunned to see Harry standing up for himself, but more so at the fact that the king and queen really were against this. Harry was being so brave and admirable, but they didn't even want him involved. It felt like Harry was some trophy for their image, and Louis couldn't sit by silently. "I will be his Fighter."

Most of the people around the table were quiet, but a few even laughed at him. Harry, however, was beaming at him, like this was exactly what he had in mind. " _Yes_ , yes perfect idea."

"He's not a trained SFI Fighter, Prince Harry. Dammit, he's not even from Xandar!" One of the captains grunted.

"He's done enough good services for me and this planet the last couple weeks." Harry snapped back. "And while it's not formal training, he know his way around a ship and a gun. We've already learned that we work well together."

"I promise I will continue to not let anything happen to the prince." Louis said, looking the king directly in his eyes. "At this point, frankly, you'll need all the help you can get."

The king pursed his lips. He wasn't used to having a commoner, a non-Xandarian of all things, challenge his authority. The fact that his own son had started this mess of a conversation in the first place was humiliating enough. "Fine." The king said reluctantly. "You two shall be briefed later tonight. But you will not be on point for your team, Harry, understand?"

"Yes sir," Harry said with a satisfied grin. He didn't care about being point, because he got what he wanted. He and Louis were going to fight together, like they had on Osiris, only this time Harry was confident the outcome would be better.

The two of them sat down just as Niall, who sat across the table, cleared his throat. "I, um, I would like to help as well."

"And what could you possibly bring to the table?" Robin asked in a mocking, harsh tone. He was at the end of his rope with these bounty hunters.

Louis came to Niall's defense. "My ship! Niall rigged it with a weapons system a while back. He can work it like an expert Fighter, I'm sure."

"And it'll be a one man job with me. I can be both Fighter and Navigator on the Donny." Niall said with more confidence.

Beside him, Zayn's face scrunched up in confusion. "Ni? You want to go out there without me?"

"Zee it's just... it's really dangerous." Niall said quietly. "You should stay down and help heal the wounded, please? I can do this on my own."

"We would feel very safe to have such a healer as you with us," Queen Anne said to Zayn with a gentle voice. "But, Star Fight requires a two man team."

"I will be his navigator." Liam, who none of their group expected to hear from, spoke up. You could see in his eyes how tired he was, how a part of him really didn't want to be doing this, but Liam a warrior on Tarth. He would be damned if he sat down from a fight, while innocent people lost their lives.

"Li, you don't have to do this mate," Niall said with a concerned voice. "Think about Sophia."

"I have, and I am. But it would be shameful to not offer my hand in help of these people." Liam said sternly. He looked back over the king and queen, bowing his head to them. "I promise Niall and I can serve you both well."

Robin looked about ready to call it all off for both duos, but Anne whispered something to him that calmed him down. He placed his hands down on the table in tight fists, sighing deeply at all of them. "Fine. After the banquet you will all be briefed for the mission tomorrow and Mr. Tomlinson's ship will be prepared to fight with SFI. Now, not another word of this, we are meant to celebrate."

It was still tense in the room as Niall and Liam sat back down and everyone fell back into their personal conversations. The mood of the room shifted, however, once the servants and kitchen staff brought out the food for the evening. It was an extravagant meal, with roasts, steamed vegetables, cakes, and classical Xandar entrées that Louis had never tasted before. He loved every part of it. He really loved when Harry put his hand in his lap, and squeezed his thigh.

Louis was mostly watching the other guests interact while he ate, too distracted by Harry's touches to try to talk to anyone. They were all keeping to their own people for the most part, noblemen talking to noblemen, SFI officers talking to NOVA corps officers. Liam was deep in conversation with the captain who had spoken up earlier, most likely talking about what they would be doing the next day. Niall and Zayn were entertaining the Queen with stories of their adventures. It was pretty relaxed considering the events that had just happened, both at dinner and the past couple weeks.

Louis took a bite of a shining purple chocolate cake when he noticed an older, frail looking man enter the dining hall. The man was walking slowly and with a hunch, and his eyes seemed to settle right on Prince Harry. Louis nudged at Harry's shoulder, "Haz, who's that?"

"Hmm?" Harry looked around until he also saw the old man. "Oh, good, I'll be right back, Baby."

"What?" Louis asked as Harry pinched his thigh and stood up. He walked over to the old man and they had a quiet conversation, where Harry shook his hand and handed him a few credit bills. Louis ate his cake slowly as he watched the two of them talk, curious about who this man was. Harry offered no explanation when he sat back down, either. "So, who was he?"

"Don't worry about that right now, Baby," Harry whispered, continuing his own meal.

+

Prince Harry, Louis, Liam, and Niall were briefed on what was going to happen during the battle, only minutes after the banquet. Niall had to show a few of the officers what weapons he'd added to the Donny, which he rushed through so he could get back to Zayn in their room. Zayn wasn't mad really, but he was confused as to why Niall got to risk his life, while he stayed on the ground.

" _We_ should be fighting together! Liam the one who needs to be kept safe on the ground." Zayn sneered.

Niall just kept shaking his head. He was sitting on the guest quarter's bed, head hanging down between his hands. "Zee, you don't get it."

"No, I really fucking don't." Zayn snapped. He kneeled on the ground in front of Niall, hands rubbing back and forth on the green man's knees. "When you and I first started in this business, we were just kids. We promised to do everything together and protect each other, so why are you doing this now?"

"Because... because this isn't like any job we've done before." Niall said in barely above a whisper. "This is an actual battle, Zee. And I wouldn't be able to focus on the fight if you were up there with me. I have to know you're safe."

"But I have to worry about you?"

"It's not the best logic, I know, but _please_ ," Niall begged. "Please just let me be the idiot this one last time. Then we'll get our money and neither of us will have to be idiots again.

Zayn stared at him, not out of anger or anything, just a blank stare, as if questioning every decision in his life. What Niall wanted was stupid and selfish, but he looked so sad and so desperate. "Fine." Zayn sighed. "I'll stay, but you and Liam better be careful, I don't want anything to happen to either of you."

"Nothing will happen, thank you Zayn." Niall said, relieved to know Zayn was agreeing. He kissed Zayn, deeply, passionately, as he pulled the hybrid onto the bed. "I love you."

"I know," Zayn mumbled into Niall's lips.

 

 

 

On almost the other end of the palace, Louis stood in the cock pit of the ship he and Prince Harry would be using for battle. The system was similar to the Donny. and the weapons were easy enough to deploy, but Louis wanted to get the hang of it soon.

Harry disappeared after the briefing, Louis figured he was talking to his family or some royal thing, but he'd been acting strange all evening. Since speaking to that mysterious man at dinner, Harry became excited, a nervous sort of excited. It sort of freaked Louis out, because Harry never told him what made him act that way, and of course Louis sort of thought it was something bad. Everything was so good, so why not tear down their happy walls.

As Louis was focused, clicking through the ship settings on the touch screen, he didn't hear the hatch at the back open. "Lou, you still in here?"

Louis jumped slightly when he suddenly heard Harry's voice. "Yeah, just trying to get the hang of this."

"I'm sure you've got it." Harry said as he sat in the Fighter's seat behind Louis. In his hands was a miniscreen from the Xandar observatory. "Take a break for a minute? I, um, I really want to show you something."

"Harry. I've seen your dick plenty of times, and while it's pretty, I am trying to make sure I know what to do so we don't die." Louis said, not even looking away from the screen.

" _Louis_ ," Harry laughed. "Thanks Babe, but that's not what I want to show you."

"In a minute," Louis said.

"Baby, Starlight, I will help you with all of that, just please turn around." Harry said, sternly this time. He left the miniscreen on his lap, and pulled Louis back by his hips. Harry kissed Louis' back as he picked up the miniscreen and brought it around, presenting it in front of Louis. "Do you know what this is?"

Louis rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, I'll play. It's a miniscreen, Haz."

"Yes," Harry stood up behind Louis, hooking his chin over Louis' shoulder. "Do you know where this one is from? I mean, which official Xandar SFI branch?"

"No. I know nothing about this," Louis said in an annoyed tone. "Could you please get to the point?"

Harry smirked, putting the miniscreen in Louis' hands and letting his own fall to Louis' stomach. "Turn it on."

Again Louis let out a little huff of annoyance, because he really did need to figure this ship out. Still, he was curious about what could possibly be this exciting for the prince to show him. Louis held down the home button until the screen blinked on, showing rows and rows of coordinates and navigational characters. It blinked again and switched over to a picture of-- "W-what is this Harry?"

"Well, it's Earth, Starlight." Harry said as soft as he possibly could into Louis' neck.

"How do you have this?" Louis asked in a whisper, awestruck at the sight of his home planet. He hadn't even seen it in pictures in so long, and he didn't know how Harry found it. Since when was Earth on Xandar's radar?

"Star Fight has an exploration and observation branch, to watch over younger planets and monitor their interstellar travel. It's base is the observatory, on the other end of the palace property, and I've got some old friends from training that work there." Harry said, shrugging. "I called in a favor."

"That man you spoke to at the banquet?"

"He's the keeper of the observatory." Harry told him.

"But, why?" Louis asked, leaning back to look up at Harry. The prince smiled and pressed a few actions in the screen, then tilted the screen back toward Louis.

"She's why."

Louis looked down and gasped at the image that appeared. It was a young girl, a little chubby, with blonde hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones, and tan skin. "Th-that's _Lottie_ ," Louis choked up. His eyes welled up with tears from the overflow of emotions he was feeling. "That's my Lottie, my sister."

"I know," Harry said, excitement returning to his voice.

"H-how?"

"DNA sample, the observatory did the rest for me."

"Hold on, how did you get my DNA?" Louis asked.

Harry started laughing again, "Starlight, I've my tongue on the most intimate parts of you, do you really think it would be that hard for me to get some DNA off you?"

Louis started blushing. "I guess not..."

"I just plucked one of your hairs off your shirt when you weren't paying attention." Harry said. "There's more pictures of her."

Louis excitedly looked through the rest of the collection. There were only ten pictures, but she was smiling and seemed healthy in all of them. He didn't see any sign of his parents with her, either. _Thank God_ , Louis thought. He was biting his lip and crying but smiling and so, so, so happy. He couldn't contain how he felt any longer, not after Harry did this. "Harry, this is... you have no idea..." Louis put the screen down on the control panel and turned in Harry's arms. "Harry I-- _god_ , I love you."

Before Harry could even process a response, or say it back like he really, _really_ wanted to, Louis was kissing him. The man was on his toes, pulling Harry down by his cheeks and kissing him in the most sloppy, but adorably happy way. Harry kissed back as if he would do anything else, laughing into it, because Louis loved him. And the prince loved him right back, and this must be what the characters in Louis' fairy tales felt like.

Suddenly, Louis' hands pressed hard on Harry's chest, and the prince fell onto the seat. Louis climbed into his lap not a moment later and kissed him again, grinding his hips down at the same time. Harry moaned, and pulled Louis back by his hair in a harsh tug. " _Baby_ , I've wanted you all damned day, since you left the ship in these," One of Harry's hands pinched Louis' arse, " _tight_ pants. And I love you, too. Gods, I love you so much."

"Say it again," Louis whimpered, cock twitching and hardening in his pants. "Tell me again."

"Oh, Starlight," Harry whined. "There's an infinite number of parallel universes, but I _know_ that every version of me will always love every version of you."

"Fuck, fuck Harry," Louis continued to whimper, kissing Harry again and again until they were both worked up beyond compare. "We--I need you Harry, fuck, you have to fuck me, please."

Harry looked around the cockpit of the ship. It was cramped, and mostly too uncomfortable for them to be in any other position. "Okay, Starlight, alright, but you're gonna ride me. Haven't done that yet."

"Yeah, yeah I like that Prince Charming." Louis said quickly. He stood up from Harry's lap and started opening his pants while the prince did the same, both of them shaking from excitement. Louis didn't even bother taking off his shirt, nor did he let Harry remove his, because he couldn't wait. "Shit, Harry we need some sort of slick."

"Right, yeah just reach into my left pocket." Harry said, motioning to his pants that only made it to his ankles.

There was a small packet and Louis held that, along with a condom, in his fingers as he looked up at the prince from between his legs. "I'm glad you're prepared, but seriously?"

The prince spat in his hand and started to slowly stroke his cock, smirking at Louis. "I told you, I've wanted my hands on you all day. Right now I want your pretty mouth on me, and your fingers stretching yourself."

Louis licked his lips with a giddy smile. "Sure thing, Your Majesty." Louis pushed the two packets into Harry's hands as he licked up and down the prince's dick, sucking it down gently.

It was so different with Louis' clean-shaven cheeks. Harry could see every dip of his bones, the stretch of his lips around Harry's cock. When Louis sucked hard, the prince moaned as his cheek formed the shape of his cock in his mouth. He started to unbutton his shirt, finally letting his hot chest breathe while Louis continued to suck his cock. Louis looked so pretty like this, he was made for Harry, and vice versa, and now that the prince knew Louis loved him, he could never go back.

Louis was focused on Harry's cock, that he almost forgot that he was supposed to stretch himself out as well. He pulled off with a slurp, taking a moment to lick up a drop of precum, before sucking and wetting his own fingers. He looked up at Harry as he pushed two fingers inside and his lips parted in a gasp. he was still pretty loose from last night, where the marks on his wrists had faded, but sensitivity remained.

Prince Harry moaned deeply, running one of his hands down Louis' cheek, ink thumb dipping into Louis' mouth. "You're the most beautiful Louis, I love you so much."

Hearing those words again made Louis keen and whine around Harry's thumb, pushing it out and once again wrapping his lips around the prince's pink, now dark magenta, cock. He hummed around Harry's dick, and stretched a third finger inside himself. It was all so easy that night.

The prince had one hand tangled through Louis' hair, guiding him up and down while his throat contracted. With his other hand, Prince Harry brought the condom packet to his puffy, plump lips and ripped it open with his teeth. He pulled Louis off with a groan and rolled the condom on, but Louis snatched the packet of lube away. "I've got this, Prince Charming."

Harry smiled readily and sat back against the seat, while Louis poured the lube over his cock. He stroked the prince a few times while he got to his feet, then sat in Harry's lap. Harry held Louis' thighs while the man grabbed his cock by the base, holding it in position. Louis sunk down slowly, mouth parting in a silent moan as he took every inch inside. He stopped on Harry's lap with his cock deep in him, and moaned at the feeling of being so full. He only moved in tiny figure eights with his hips, still getting used to the wonderful burning stretch.

"This is heaven," Louis whimpered. He meant for it to be a comment just to himself, but Harry heard.

And Harry's heart filled with warmth and love at the words. He loved Louis so much, and he loved making him feel so good. Harry's hands slid up from Louis' thighs to his sides, under his shirt, and that had to come off. He brushed Louis' fallen hair out of his face and kissed him, finally opening each button of Louis' shirt. "You're my whole universe, Louis." He pushed the shirt off Louis' shoulders, but because the man's hands were pressed to Harry's chest, it stayed draped on his tanned arms. "My everything."

"God," Louis said as his arms slipped up and wrapped behind Harry's neck. His toes were planted on the ground and he lifted up slowly, dropping back down at the same pace.

" _Fuck_ , Baby," Harry moaned, moving his hands around Louis' back. "Yes, Louis, that's it."

Louis smiled, breathless and full, as he started to rock into an up and  down rhythm. He wrapped his arms around the prince's neck and whimpered, living for the praises he got through the prince's labored breaths. Louis' head fell back as he bounced up and down faster, moving at the perfect angle for Harry's cock to brush against his prostate. "Hazza, feels good like this."

"Yeah, yeah I know it does Baby," Harry said with a small smile, watching as Louis' body moved up and down on him. He was so beautiful on display like this, with his pretty cock bouncing up and down against his tummy, and nipples pointed on his chest. Harry knew they were probably so sensitive right now, and the thought made him groan and lean down to take one between his lips.

Louis mewled when he felt harry start to suck on his nipple, and he snapped back down, hands flying to the prince's curls. He slowed his movements down, rolling his hips with Harry's cock hitting his prostate, and it made Louis hum with pleasure. "I love you so much Harry, oh fuck, so much."

He was babbling nonsense with how good he felt, and he clenched around Harry's cock. The prince let up and kissed Louis while they moved together, moaning along with the movements of their tongues. "You're so tight Starlight, so good. You're so hot, Louis, love you too."

Louis could feel a warmth coiling in his tummy, already, and it was just happening so fast for him. Maybe the new angle was to blame, or the way Harry kept telling him he loved him. "Wanna come Harry, please."

"Shit, you can, you can make yourself come." Harry sighed as he planted his feet and started to thrust up into Louis.

The man's moans grew louder and more high pitched, and he started stroking his own hard cock as he bounced on Harry's. Louis bit his lip and looked warmly into Harry's blown out eyes, panting and mewling, "Harry, oh _Harry_ \--"

With one last moan of Harry's name Louis came, squirting up onto Harry's chest, but still clenching and bouncing around him. "Fuck _yeah_ Louis, so pretty. My pretty boy." Harry grunted. He pulled Louis down hard by his hips, and with only a few more thrusts, Harry was coming into the condom.

Louis giggled breathlessly into Harry's neck, while they both held on tighter and came down from their highs. Harry lifted Louis off his lap for a moment so he could throw out the condom, but quickly brought him back to his arms. Louis clung to Harry's shoulders, breathing in his scent and feeling their hearts beat together in their chests. Perfect, all of it perfect.

"You know," Louis said with a tired smile. "We haven't even flown this ship and there's already a used condom in the cockpit bin.

The prince started laughing too as he rubbed Louis' back. "Amazing, we fucked in the _cockpit_. That's just beautiful."

When he understood Harry's joke, Louis' eyes rolled so hard. "Oh my, you're a dork. I'm in love with a pink, dorky prince. This is my life now."

"Pretty good life if you ask me." Harry said, continuing to laugh at himself. "In my defense, I _was_ going to wait to fuck you until I'd taken you back to my room. We could have been very nasty in there, you know, my bed is _very_ big."

"Hmm, next time then, definitely." Louis hummed to Harry's lips. He twisted a curl of Harry's long hair around one of his fingers as he smiled down at the prince. "I really am so happy and grateful for what you did. For showing me the pictures of Lottie."

"Of course Louis," Harry said. "I'll do anything for you."

"It's just," Louis sighed. "I never thought I would see her again. But she looks happy and she looks healthy, and... I miss her, I do."

"I know you do." Harry whispered. "Do you think you'll ever be ready to see her in person again? Because I think you should."

Louis sadly shook his head. "I don't know. I-I can't think about that right now either. You didn't let me finish looking through the ships settings."

"Right, right." Harry said reluctantly. "Get dressed and I'll show you."

"I don't want to _move_ ," Louis whined, going boneless on Harry's lap. "Just tell me from here, Prince Charming."

"You're being a bit bratty now." Harry said with a playful smirk.

Louis pouted. "How about you take the ten inch dick of the prince of Xandar up your ass, and then tell me if you want to move."

"That sort of feels like you told me to go fuck myself." Harry laughed.

"Whatever works."

"Awe." Harry said with a mock-frown. "You'll hurt my feelings."

"Awe, Baby," Louis pouted right back. "You love me, so you'll deal with it."

"Yeah, I do. I love you." Harry said with a light smile. He couldn't help but think about what would happen when the battle was over. Would Louis stay? Could Harry even ask him to? Or would this happiness fade away, because Louis was grounded on Xandar. He would grow bored surely, because Harry knew Louis craved the adventure, like himself. _Wouldn't Louis want to go on adventures with me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty please please pleeeeeease leave me some comments :) it really brightens my day when you do xx


	13. Another Dimension, New Galaxy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait! this is a battle chapter and those kinds of things are hard to write 
> 
> Chapter title from ["Intergalactic" by The Beastie Boys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORYO0atB6g)

Preparing to go to battle the morning of a mission, was more tense and nerve wracking than Louis ever thought it would be. He was helping Niall and Liam get the Donny ready, while on a Captain shouted orders to the other troops. Everyone was so serious, because they'd been to war, and they knew what awaited them. Louis didn't.

"So what are you two doing again?" Louis asked Niall.

The green man strapped down in the co-pilot's seat, Liam was in the pilot's, and cracked his knuckles before answering. "We're going at the head of Alpha team to clear the path to the mothership." His voice was full of nerves and obvious worry, because there would be nothing between them and Coruscant. "Just gotta blow shit up."

"Right mate." Louis said, giving Niall his best reassuring smile, and a hard squeeze on the shoulder. "You've got this, Ni. And Zayn's gonna be fine on the ground too."

"I know man, I know," Niall said with a heavy sigh. "How you holding up Liam? There's still time to back out."

"No, I am in this fight with you, Niall." Liam said,  voice just as tense. He had a vice-like grip on the ship's handles, purple hands going white with it. "Louis, you should go to the ship with Prince Harry, we are going to get the command to take off any minute."

"Yeah I know," Louis said. he let go of Niall and started to walk to the ladder of the top deck. "Take care of my Baby, lads. But... I would rather you come back than this ship."

"We will do our best." Liam said, looking over his shoulder. "Please, should anything happen to me, or either of us... tell our loved ones."

"Of course, Li." Louis said. He gave one last wave, then climbed down the ladder, leaving the ship and closing the door as he went.

Niall took as many deep breaths as he could. He had no idea it would be this scary to go to war, and he had no idea if he really _would_ survive. "Li, you've done this before, sort of. Tell me, what's war like?"

"Not as bad as you think, but we fight differently on Tarth. "Liam said, hands calming their grip. "When you are out there, your mind will run on automatic. You must trust me and your own instincts, and that is how you survive."

"Right." Niall asked. He could do this, he could. He could do it for Prince Harry, and Zayn waiting on the ground, and for Liam's family on his home planet. Niall was going to man up and be a hero for once, instead of skating through a job with guns firing at his heals. He had a little something to prove to himself.

The order came within only minutes of Louis leaving them. "Alpha team, prepare for takeoff in ten, nine, eight..."

Liam started up the ship and let them hover as the countdown continued. He could feel Niall's tense energy flow through the cockpit of the Donny, but there wasn't time to make him calm down. With one last deep breath, Liam heard the countdown hit 'one' and he burst into hyper drive. They emerged outside the planet's atmosphere and in the midst of dozens of Coruscant ships. The Donny was at the head of the pack, being bigger and with more firepower, so Niall had to act fast.

He shot multiple missiles at the first line, while Liam did his best to keep the shields up. Niall started cheering when the first few ships were destroyed. "Fuck yeah! Come on Liam! We got this!"

Liam shook his head, though he had a small smile on his otherwise solemn face. How Niall was actually enjoying this, Liam couldn't figure out, but it lifted his spirits. Niall's cheers gave Liam the energy to fly quickly, to help make the path for their troops. "We should weave in and out of their line up as best we can, Niall. Lets confuse and distract them so our boys can make them scatter!"

"Excellent!" Niall shouted, shooting down one of the bigger ships.

They were taking apart the advancing cavalry with each hit, making it separate and weaken as shins left position to chase SFI units. Niall could see the mothership, holding it's coordinates right above capitol city, and was tempted to just go for it. But Niall knew that wasn't the job he and Liam were sent to do, and he had to be a helpful part of the group. A voice in Niall's mind reminded him that Zayn was in that city, and he had to protect him from any Coruscant ship trying to land.

Liam backed the ship away from an attacker Niall had missed, too lost in his thoughts. "Focus Mr. Horan!" Liam shouted as he took the Donny further out. They were being chased by two ships. "Get rid of those!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Niall said as he focused power into the top gun, which he could turn in any direction. He hit one of the ships on the first go, but struggled to lock onto the second. "Come on Horan."

Finally, he locked onto his target and blew up the second ship. Liam even clapped a few times before turning them around. They began to join their other ranks again, and Niall got his head back into the mission. He would be okay, if he didn't think about Zayn getting into danger, it would all be okay. He and Liam were going to make it back.

+

The royal family had a bunker below the throne room, but Gemma was holding out to use it. Zayn waited with Gemma, while the Queen and court members hid in the bunker, and the King went out with a NOVA Corps unit to fight on the ground. So far, everything was quiet, and Zayn watched the battle happen in the sky.

He could no longer tell which ship was which, and he just hoped that Niall was okay. He really regretted letting Liam take his place up there, and even more so whenever Zayn saw an explosion.

"He's still up there." Gemma's voice came from behind Zayn, making him jump. But she was smiling sweetly at him from the doorway. "We're going to get word if Niall's ship, or Harry's, goes down."

"Thanks." Zayn said morbidly. "What if it does?"

"The best medics in the quadrant are here, so they'll save him if anything happens." She assured him. They both stood at the edge of the palace balcony, watching the battle. "You know I... I can't thank you enough for saving Ashton."

"You don't have to, Princess." Zayn said. "Really, we--"

A crash banged behind them, and sent them both flying to the ground. Zayn grabbed the princess and covered her form another blast, as a Coruscant ship infiltrated the Palace. "Oh no!"

The two of them watched as a squadron of droids, manufactured AI built specifically to be soldiers, filed out of the ship, matching to the throne room. "We have to go Princess, gotta get you to the bunker."

"We have to get Ashton and his doctors first!" She yelled, ducking away from the falling ceiling. " _Please_ Zayn. Let's get them first!"

"Okay, I'll help you Princess." Zayn said, grabbing her hand as they ran down the palace steps. He ran ahead of Gemma, to block her from anyone in front. They stopped at every corner to make sure nobody from Coruscant had landed. They were so close to the throne room, to the secret hallway that led to her fiancé, when Zayn spotted more of them.

Another team of droids was marching through a hallway connected to the crash site, getting ready to shoot down the throne room doors. The only way to get to Ashton was through there, but the droids were well on their way to making that impossible. "Princess," Zayn said, gently grabbing her by her forearms. "Stay right here while I take care of this. Only make a sound if someone else attacks, understand?"

 She nervously shook her head, eyes wide and pleading. "Be careful, Zayn."

"Don't worry about me," He said with his crooked, reassuring smile. He slowly crept around the corner and quietly grew out hid arms just long enough to reach one of the humanoid droids on the end closest to him.

He grabbed it and wrapped around the robotic arms so it couldn't shoot, then swung its body into the other ones. The ones he didn't hit turned around and aimed their guns at him. Before they started shooting, Zayn reared the droid back and used it as a shield. He grabbed the gun from its hands and shot it in the head shaped part, to shut it down.

He felt a sharp pain in his side and saw that one of the droids actually managed to get a shot in. He hissed from the pain, though the wound healed fast, and shot at the droids. "Oh fuck off!"

He took out the last one and threw his droid to the ground, pocketing its gun in his holster. Gemma peered around the corner when she no longer heard any noise. "Is it clear?"

"Yes Princess," Zayn said. He took her hands in his and guided her around the broken droids until they were at the doors. She unlocked them with her handprint, a special security measure, but Zayn went in first. They held hands once again as they ran to the secret door, and down the hall to Ashton.

Gemma went running inside, surprising the two nurses and doctor who were there. "We have to go! Is he alright to be transported?"

"Yes, Your Grace," The doctor said. "We've been ready since the morning, but you should already be in the bunker! This isn't safe!"

"I belong with Ashton, thank you very much." Princess Gemma scolded. She ran to the sleeping Lord's side and held his hand, giving him a very quick kiss on the cheek. "We're getting you out of here Ash."

"Um, M-Majesty?" One of the nurses nervously spoke up. "Where's the royal guard?"

"It's just Zayn with me, but he's very capable." Gemma said.

Zayn felt honored by her words, but also a little uneasy. It wasn't hard to sneak around one person, but three and one stuck on a bed? That would prove to be difficult. "I will do my best, but we should hurry. Who knows how many droids came down with that ship."

"You're right." Gemma said. "Let's go now!"

They ran out of the room and back down the hall, while Zayn pulled out the droid's gun and his own phaser. The bunker was on a lower level and could only be accessed through a secret door across the hall from the throne room. Zayn kicked the dismantled droids out of the way so the nurses could cart Ashton through, and Gemma opened the secret door.

The group was brought into an elevator that took them down several levels until they were at the bunker. They were welcomed with several NOVA Corps guns pointed at them, until the soldiers recognized their Princess. "Majesty! Thank the Gods you all made it! Your mother the Queen is back here."

"Thank you! Doctor? Bring Ashton with me and set him back up near my mother." Gemma said. She linked her arm with Zayn's and lead him inside.

It was set up like the military briefing room was the previous night. There were all kinds of men in uniforms standing around, as well as several nobles, all waiting until it was safe. At the back was a huge screen that mapped out the battle area. "Princess Gemma?" Zayn asked. "H-how will we know what's going on up there?"

The princess bit her lip, a regretful glint in her eyes. "I-I don't know, Zayn, but I'm sure they're all okay."

Zayn nodded, though he still wasn't sure, and walked Gemma to her mother. The Queen nearly burst into tears when she saw them. "Oh my Darling! Thank the Gods you're okay!"

She and Gemma ran to each other and fell into a soft, but tight hug. Gemma wiped her mother's wet tears away and laughed breathlessly. "It's all  thanks to Zayn. He saved me and helped me get to Ashton."

"Thank you Zayn, thank you so much." Queen Anne said, pulling him in and kissing both his cheeks.

"It's really no trouble, Your Grace," Zayn said with a slight blush on his mossy cheeks. "But, um, do you have any idea what's going on up there? I just... I have to know if Niall is okay."

"Of course," Queen Anne lamented to him. She too had people she wanted to check in on during the battle. "The map is tracking every soldier, and we've set up a communications with the medics in case something does happen. You'll be the first to know, should something happen to Mr. Horan and Mr. Payne's ship."

"Thank you," Zayn sighed, only partially relieved. He took a seat next to Ashton's bed and Princess Gemma, trying his best to keep his breathing calm while he waited for news about Niall.

+

Prince Harry Styles awoke early that morning with a sleepy Louis wrapped around his back. He hardly remembered them making it back to his bedroom last night, because they were so tired. But he rather liked waking up this way.

Both of them would have wanted to take the morning slow, to stay in bed and put off going into battle, but it would have been irresponsible. So Harry was forced to settle for a quick snog, before Louis was dressed and out the door. He'd wanted to send off Liam and Niall, wish them luck.

Harry said goodbye to his own family and asked them to stay as safe as possible, Zayn promised to help them anyway he could, and the prince trusted him. Harry waited by their ship in the hangar with the rest of their fleet for Louis to return to him.

A few of the other officers bowed and greeted Harry as they walked to their own ships, each welcoming him home. Harry smiled and thanked them all, but anxiously waited for Louis. Then he saw his love approach at half speed, zipping up the black Fighter jacket, that was already tight on his body.

In fact, the entire uniform was tight on him. It fit so snugly on his body, showing every thin line and every curve. Harry could feel himself start to drool, and he could feels his cock tighten up his own pants. Louis was going to be such a distraction if Harry looked at him too much. "Ready, Starlight?"

"Yeah, I--" Louis was cut off by the sound of the first fleet taking off. He turned in time to see his ship lead the pack. "I hope they'll be careful."

"They will be," Harry said,  locking his arm around Louis' shoulder as they watched together. He kissed Louis' temple for a moment, before stepping back and letting his arm slip down so their hands touched. "Come on, we better board up."

"Yeah," Louis' eyes flicked up and down Harry's body, at his Prince Charming in the very uniform he first saw him in. Louis licked his lips, "Damn, you do look hot in this."

Harry snorted, leaning down for a quick kiss, mumbling into Louis' lips. "You should see yourself."

"Try to keep your mind off my arse while we're up there." Louis said with a smirk. But for good measure, he pushed Harry out of his way and climbed up the ladder of the ship. He most definitely arched his back so his ass was out, just to tease the prince.

It worked and caused the prince to bite his lip as he watched Louis enter their ship. "That's not going to be easy." Especially _when I remember how good we fucked in here last night. And how you told me you loved me, and how you fucking moaned when I said it back._

He followed Louis inside once the - _former_ \- bounty hunter was already down. They helped each other put on the rest of their uniforms, just a pair of gloves and gun holsters, but Harry waited to let Louis put on his helmet. "Haz, come on we have to be ready."

"I know but," Harry stopped and looked at the way Louis was shaking, the way his fingers drummed on the helmet. The prince had never seen him this nervous. "Starlight, look at you shaking."

"I'm sorry, this is just... it's new." Louis said with a soft voice.

"I know, and it's scary, but you and I work well together, we already know that." Harry said. He lead Louis to the Fighter's chair, arms around the man's waist. "How about you go over our mission one more time, yeah? Just to get it in your mind."

"Right, um, we're to fly to and land on the mothership, and then take out the power system before it enters Xandar's gravitational pull. Then we have to take out the smaller ships that try to land on the planet." Louis said, repeating the short version of the plan. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, calming himself. He could do this. "Simple."

"Exactly," Harry gave Louis a smile, then strapped the black helmet onto his head. "I love you Baby, and I know we can do this."

"Love you too." Louis sighed. He took his seat, while Harry sat in the navigator's, and steadily placed his hands on the controls. The screen began to ominously count down from ten, and Louis took one last glance over to Harry as the prince called them in.

"SFI unit 78 calling in for the ready." Harry said as he pressed the start up switches. A voice on the other end of their communications confirmed the call, and their ship began to hover.

Louis took a deep breath. He learned the weapons system so fast, and a part of him feared he still wouldn't know it well enough. There wasn't time to fix that though, because before Louis even knew it, Harry punched the navigation unit forward. They took off fast, next to a dozen other ships, all headed to the Coruscant mothership.

"Fuck," Louis swore under his breath, shaking his head to get himself into the battle mindset he needed. He saw the first group of SFI officers shooting down minor ships to clear their path, but the Donny was nowhere in sight. Louis tried not to think about it too much, he tried to focus on keeping their own shields up while they flew to their target.

"Starlight, look out your left side," Harry said as he dodged the debris of a destroyed ship.

Louis did as he was told, and looked around until he saw it. Niall and Liam directing the Donny through floating parts of broken ships, headed back down to Xandar. "Ha, are they done already?"

"Our path has been cleared, they were probably called down to get any Coruscant fighters that were missed," Harry told him. "Glad they're okay so far."

"Yeah, yeah me too," Louis sighed with relief. He had Harry next to him and his friends were still alive, that was all the reassurance he needed. "Well, Prince Charming, why are you going so slow? Don't you know we got a war to win?"

Harry started laughing, happy that the tense mood was lightening up. "I was going easy on you, _rookie_."

" _Oh,_ is that how this is gonna be?" Louis asked with a smirk. He rolled his eyes and looked ahead, at a sea of broken parts and basically space junk. "Looks like rough space ahead."

"Well Baby, we both happen to like it rough," Harry said, licking his lips. He wished he could have seen Louis' reaction to the comment, but all he heard was Louis to start to mumble. "Come on, this'll be just like pod racing."

"You're the navigator, Haz," Louis said. He pulled up a few minor rockets, in case they needed to clear out some debris. "Just quit flying like a gran."

"Whatever you say, Starlight." Harry said as he accelerated their ship.

They flew right through an opening in the Coruscant line, faster than anyone else in their squadron. Harry made it look so easy, as if he'd been flying in a war zone for years, when really it was only a few months. There wasn't an ounce of worry on his face, as far as Louis could see, about their situation. It was all an obstacle he was going to get through.

This must have been what Harry was like during the pod race. All precision and focus, mindset only on completing his goal, no matter what flew at him. Louis did his best to mimic the energy, and to push all distracting thoughts from his brain.

Once he did that, everything became easy. Louis used smaller missiles and rockets to take out smaller ships, and a few meteors, while his body relaxed into it. He could do this.

Harry flipped them upside down suddenly, to avoid an attack from the side. It threw Louis off and he sent out a few shots on accident, thankfully he didn't hit anyone.

"You alright Lou?" Harry asked once they were clear of that enemy ship.

"Yeah, gotta warn me next time, though," Louis said between breaths. "I could've hit one of us."

"Sorry starlight, it happened too fast." Harry said as he steered them behind a floating meteor. It was just big enough for their ship to be out of view from everyone else.

"At least we're almost there." Louis said. He started resetting the weapons, and charging up the anti-matter bomb. That bomb was the key to winning the fight.

"I know, let me call in the squadron." Harry pressed to the commander in his ear. "This is unit 78, we're pretty close to the mothership, we're entering from the starboard side. Follow us in when you can."

" _Copy that, 78_." A few ships repeated back to him.

"Let's destroy these bastards," Harry smirked. Both hands back on the controls, the prince charged them forward at Coruscant.

Once again, Louis was afraid of what might happen, and he knew that he couldn't escape as easily as he would on a bounty. He couldn't just sneak around and slip away to try again whenever he pleased. This was life or death. "Haz? Promise me you'll do whatever you can to stay alive."

"Of course I will Louis," Harry sounded confused. When had he shown Louis that he made stupid, life-threatening decisions? Past SFI partners aside...

"I just mean... don't be a hero on there if you don't have to be."

"Louis, we're going to mate it out." Harry said. "Don't think about what could happen, and focus on what needs to happen."

"Right." Louis got a grip on the weapon's controls, and his worries, and set a target for the starboard entrance. Once he was close enough, he shot right at it, blowing a hole in the side of the ship.

"Nice one!" Harry shouted gleefully. They were joined by the rest of the squadron as the SFI invaded the enemy mothership. Harry slowed to let two other ships for in first, as was planned originally, and Louis with the other Fighters shot up what soldiers and droids were inside.

Each duo exited their ship, and by some miracle, there were no casualties in the squadron. The Captain with the highest authority ran to the head of the group to lead them. "Fighters! Extract your anti-matter bombs! Navigators, keep your guns ready. We won't detonate until every SFI ship is back in the atmosphere!"

Louis opened up the unit on the side of the ship, while Harry stayed beside him, gun up and ready. The bombs were powerful, but smaller than one would think. It fit in only one of Louis' hands, and was glowing a very light blue color. He sealed the ship back up and nodded to Harry. "Ready."

"Good boy." Harry mumbled as the next command was given from their captain. he grabbed Louis' gun from the back holster and tossed it at him. "Let's go."

Half the group ran out with the captain to the power grid, while the other half stayed with his navigator to watch the ships. They were met with a company of droids that had round shields covering them whenever they didn't move.

"Shit," Harry swore as he pushed Louis behind him and fire shot after shot, to no avail. "Wait until it rolls and then shoot! Try to get their center!"

He always hated fighting these during training simulations, because Harry wasn't patient enough to wait for them to stop moving. Louis, however, was much better with them, as he grabbed a knife from Harry's belt and threw it behind the droids. When they turned, Louis shot at two of them. The other soldiers followed his example, and the droids were all blown up within minutes.

Harry was very impressed, needless to say.

"Damn. Your boy's good," One of the officers whispered to Harry as they watched Louis go.

"Yeah he is." Harry proudly replied. He ran behind Louis and a few others as they continued to storm the ship.

"Power Grid is this way!" Captain shouted as he turned down a dark coridor.

It looked like someone already hit the grid from the outside, because the walls were dented in and the lights were flickering on and off. Pieces of metal hung from the ceiling and several exposed wires were sparking. All kinds of equipment was knocked around, and Harry could see a few bodies trapped under them, probably dead. The group carefully stepped around it all, while attacking their anti-matter bombs all around the grid.

Louis tripped and Harry grabbed him by the back of his jacket to save him from a metal spike. " _Shit_ , thanks Haz."

"No problem, Starlight." Harry said as he straightened Louis out. The prince climbed on top of a turned over panel and looked around the ceiling. "Lou, put yours up here. It'll catch any spare grid-tech in the ceiling."

"Good idea," Louis said. He pushed himself onto the panel, and reached up to the ceiling with his bomb. "I can't fuckin' reach!"

Harry chuckled, he _had_ to, because Louis really was so small. "I've got you." Harry said as he lifted Louis by his chest.

Louis attacked the bomb and set the detonator on for five minutes, just like everyone else. "Okay all set." Louis said as Harry put him back down. "Captain! We're ready over here!"

"Head back to the ships soldiers!" Captain barked. He was pressing a few buttons on his miniscreen, syncing up the bomb's timers. "Countdown begins in 3-2-1!"

The troops fell back into a group, this time forming a two by two formation to run back to their ships. The halls were clear this time, and every door was locked and blocked off, preventing Coruscant from stopping them. The other half of their squadron was guarding the doors to the hangar, and had shot down several groups of Coruscant soldiers and droids.

Harry got in their ship first and started up the Nav, while Louis recharged the missiles. "Wasn't so bad, was it?"

Louis shook his head, body still vibrating from all the excitement. He'd never felt such a rush of adrenaline on any job like this. "Let's just get out of here before it blows."

"Sure thing." Harry steered them out of the mothership at a steady speed, behind most of their original group.

There were far less mid-space battles going on between the two forces, which meant most of the ships had been blown up. Louis couldn't see the Donny anywhere, but a part of him was hoping that meant Niall and Liam were back on Xandar. He put their shields up at their maximum level anyway, and kept a few of their smaller guns locked and loaded.

The prince was about to send them to hyper space, when a huge blow hit their port side. "Shit!" Harry shouted as they started to spin, and he pulled on several switches to get the control back. "No breaks yet, do you see them Lou?"

The man checked all the radar and spotted a small blip moving below them. "Found 'em! We can't take them out from here, they went below."

"Fuck me," Harry grunted. He gripped the control gears tightly and made his decision. "I'm gonna have to flip us. Are you ready for that?"

As much as Louis didn't like it, he knew they would have to go upside-down in order to hit this guy back. "Y-Yeah. Just count it down."

"Yeah, alright 3-2-1!" Harry pulled up on the gears and they went backwards, then flipped the ship onto its back. "Get him now!"

Louis started shooting, but the enemy was fast, maneuvering itself away and out. It rolled and came at them from a new angle, this time blowing a hole in their engine. Harry swore but turned them again, allowing Louis to aim properly. "Got it!"

He locked onto the target and fired two shots into the cockpit, blowing it to pieces. There wasn't time to celebrate, however, because the alarms were blaring and Harry could see that their broken engine was failing. Hyper space was still fully intact, since their warp core wasn't hit, but it would be too risky to use. "Lou? We're too busted up on this side. I'm gonna have to take her down at human speed."

"Shit, well let's go now, then. The shields are still-- _oh no_." Louis' eyes widened as he watched the shield percentage decline from 100% to 95% and counting. "Th-they're failing Harry, the shields are failing."

"Oh _fuck_ ," Harry said. "Okay just stay calm, I'll take the easiest route. Do what you can to keep them operational."

"Yeah, I got it." Louis said. He shut down the shields covering their good side, and moved that power to the broken side. He wanted to cover up what was left of their engine as much as possible. "How are things looking Hazza?"

Prince Harry bit his lip as he assessed their options. The most open route would land them in the ocean and moles from the medics, but the closer option of landing in a field would take them through oncoming Coruscant ships. There was also the matter of their slowly deteriorating power systems. "Starlight, we're going to have to go through Coruscant ships. We don't have enough power to take the safe way down. What's our ammunition situation like?"

Louis checked their logs and they still had a few things in stock. The only problem was that his hands were shaking too much to aim properly. He could waste it all on failed shots, but they were nearing the atmosphere and their ship's limits, so he had to act fast. "If we have to, then we have to. Let's do it fast."

"We can make it Louis, you've got this." Harry said as calmly as he could.

The encouragement helped, but Louis' hands still shook. They looped around a blown up enemy ship and veered toward the atmosphere. Louis could see on the radar two blips ahead, both Coruscant. One was closer in front, and he looked ahead at it driving at them. Louis took a very deep breath and aimed, locking on after a few tries. The screen honked at him to shoot, and he let out three shots from their small guns.

The ship broke into pieces just as Harry switched their direction and brought them below it. The prince cheered as it happened, smiling proudly at his man as they got back on course. "Great job Lou!"

Louis let out a shaky breath and smiled weakly. He didn't mean to get distracted, but he had, and now the second ship was on them. Louis was all set to lock on again, but it wasn't working. He panicked and switched to a rear missile while Harry pulled them lower. "Get in front of him Haz!"

"I am! I am!" Harry shouted. He swerved their ship so it avoided the enemy fire, and sped up the best he could so they were in front.

Once they were, there was barely any time for Louis to react. He saw the warning on one of the screens that said they were firing range of the enemy, and knew what he had to do. Louis looked over at Harry, trying his best to get them back, and he blindly fired the rear missile.

Just in time too, because they'd entered the atmosphere and the fast gravitational pull of Xandar. Sadly, they were also hit from behind  by one final shot from the dying Coruscant fighter. Louis ripped off his seat belt and hurdled toward Harry, shielding him from the blast. They went crashing to the ground. Right into the field that Harry intended.

The ship broke into pieces upon impact, and in the commotion, Louis lost his grip on the prince. He screamed for Harry as they fell, but there was no response.

+

Louis felt bones crack in his legs, left wrist, and ribs on the impact, and he screamed from the pain. But he was alive, and bones could be fixed. Still, Louis cried and moaned in agony on the ground, not able to move. He had to check Harry though, because they separated during the crash, and god only knows if the prince was okay.

With Louis' only good hand, he pushed himself onto his side, swearing at the strain on his injuries. He could feel blood slowly dripping down from his torso, but didn't dare look at it. Thankfully, he spotted Harry just down a hill, but getting there would be a pain. Louis wouldn't sit around like this though, because he didn't want to wait around it Harry was dying. They were not going out like this.

"H-Harry?" Louis called out, but to no response. "Baby? Harry come on! Ah, ow fuck."

Louis gritted his teeth, and with a deep breath, he rolled himself down the hill. Louis screamed again, nearly fainting from the pain. He would let himself black out soon enough, but he had to make sure somebody knew where they were. He unhooked his helmet, thank god for it, and tossed it to the side. Sweat stuck his fringe to his forehead, but he pushed it back so he could properly look at Harry.

The prince was lying on his back, limbs sprawled out around him. Louis could already see that he had a broken ankle, again, and a broken arm. There was blood seeping down Harry's neck, and a crack in the glass of his helmet. The blood came from Harry's mouth, and Louis did his best to wipe it off.

"Prince Charming, wake up now," Louis mumbled. Still, he got no answer, beside a deep moan. At least it was a sign that Harry was still alive. "I'm calling for a medic, Hazza, just stay with me."

Louis pressed his finger to the communicator in his ear, resting his head back on Harry's chest. The steady beat of the prince's heart was comforting. "This, shit, this is... um... fuck the codenames! This is Louis Tomlinson, SFI unit 78, and we crash landed in some damn field."

" _Copy that Tomlinson_." The officer on the other end said. " _Are there any injuries?_ "

"Yeah," Louis winced, he could feel himself about to go under. "T-too many. Prince Harry is unconscious... I..."

" _Tomlinson?_ " The officer began to panic. " _We've tracked your location and are sending a medic._ "

"Yeah..." Louis dropped his hand, chest heaving from the pain. The last thing Louis saw before he blacked out was an explosion far off in the sky, a sign that their bombs worked. The mothership was destroyed.

+

"Malik! Here now!" The NOVA Corps commander shouted. Zayn ran to him quickly to see what he was fussing about, and the man pointed to a beeping dot on their tracking screen. "That right there is your man's ship. It went down in the ocean, but we're recovering it."

Zayn's heart stopped and he felt like he could pass out at any second. They crashed, and he didn't know if Niall was dead or alive. "W-what do we do now?"

"The medic center is set up close to them, you may go to them if you wish." The commander said, squeezing Zayn's shoulder. "You've done good work today son."

"Thank you sir!" Zayn shouted, sprinting as fast as he could out of the bunker.

+

The sound of beeping and yelling woke Louis up from his unconscious state. He felt a sharp pain in both his legs and his side, but as he opened his eyes, Louis saw that nothing was broken. He figured the medics must have used a serum similar to the one used on Harry on Naboo. Louis still groaned, because this sped-up healing process hurt more than the actual crashing.

He looked to either side of his head and didn't recognize either of the soldiers next to him, which made Louis start to panic. _Where's Harry?_ Louis sat up quickly, which made his head rush with a numbing pain, and tried to leave the bed. He was pushed back down by a couple nurses, who started mumbling things he couldn't understand. Not that he was trying to listen, he needed to find the prince.

"H-Harry? Where's..." Louis started to feel faint again, and a bit woozy as the nurses pushed him down. "Stop it! I have... have to find Harry!"

"The prince has his own section of the facility, stay still!" One of the nurses said in a rough, annoyed tone.

They grabbed his arms and held him, while a medic came over and injected something into Louis' side. "Ah! What the fuck mate?"

"It's for the pain, Mr. Tomlinson." The medic said, rolling his eyes. "You're lucky we're even wasting this on a non-Xandarian--"

" _Excuse you?_ " Louis sneered. Who would say that kind of thing to a person? A person who risked their life to save a member of the royal family? Before Louis could say anything more, or insult this complete idiot, he heard a familiar voice shouting from the other end of the medical facility.

"Where the hell is he?" Prince Harry shouted at a medic. He had a bandage around his head, and another wrapped around his arm and over his chest. He didn't have a shirt or pants on, only a pair of tight black briefs covering a small portion of his pink skin. He was limping a little as he grabbed the medic to yell some more. "You were instructed to care for him in the noblemen section if we went down! Why the hell is Louis out here?"

"P-Please, Majesty, I'm not in charge." The medic whimpered, trying to push the raging prince away. "It's a mistake, surely."

Louis wanted to get up and run to his prince, make sure everything really _was_ okay, but there nurses still had him. "Harry! Hazza, 'm over here!"

One of the nurses gasped, "You must use his Royal Majesty's title when--"

She was quickly cut off by Harry running to Louis' bed. "Baby! Thank the gods you're okay!" He looked at each of Louis' attendants with disgust. "Get your hands off him _now_. He should have been back there with me."

"But sir, he's not even--"

"You were given orders!" Harry shouted. He would have grabbed that medic too, if it weren't for Louis, with his arms newly freed, pulling him back.

"Harry, it's fine, I'm fine." Louis said with a soft voice, gentle enough to calm the prince from going on a rampage.

"Right, I'm sorry, Starlight." Harry sighed, kneeling down to give Louis a kiss.

As he kissed Harry, the former bounty hunter smirked over his shoulder at the medic, shooing him away with a flick of the wrist. He let his arms fall over Harry's bare shoulder, sliding his hands up into the prince's long hair, once again out of the tight bun. But Louis could feel other people's eyes on them, and he knew they were starting to talk about their public display of affection. Louis stopped their kiss with an awkward cough, but Harry didn't seem to mind. "Harry, we did it you know? Right before I passed out, I saw the mothership explode."

"Thank the gods for that too, then." Harry said with a bright smile. He stood up from the floor, only to sit back down on the bed next to Louis, intertwining their hands over his lap. "What happened to you? I don't really remember the crash."

Louis shrugged. "I knew we were going down, so I just jumped from my seat and covered you. We landed in some field, broke both my legs doing it, but I called in for help."

"Oh _Baby_ ," Harry cooed, looking down at Louis' legs. "They fixed you up well, though. But you should have been with the other noblemen, you were supposed to wake up next to me."

"Yeah, I would've preferred that," Louis said with a smirk. "The medic they stuck me with had _such_ an attitude, honestly doesn't he know who I am? Doesn't everyone know I'm fucking the Prince of Xandar by now?"

If Harry weren't already so flushed from the fight and recovering, he'd probably blush, but instead he started laughing. "Everyone will know soon enough." Harry nuzzled along Louis' neck, nibbling at him for a moment.

"Prince Charming, people are staring." Louis squeaked, pushing Harry away with a deep blush. "And we don't even know if the battle is over."

"Take him to the Noblemen section! Get someone on this fast!"

"Harry up! It could be serious!"

Harry and Louis looked around at the doctor's shouting by the entrance, and Louis stood up to see who it was. He almost fainted again when he saw the pale lilac skin of his friend, "Oh no. No, no, no, _please_ no."

Louis stumbled as he made his way through the medics, Harry following close behind. They couldn't see much of Liam yet, but by the way he was being rushed to the back, Louis knew it was bad. He tried to break into a run, but Harry grabbed him. Louis _had_ to know his friend was okay, and where was Niall?

That question was answered quickly, as the green bounty hunter came running in, clutching his right shoulder. "Don't touch me yah bastards! It's just dislocated! Go fuckin' help Liam!"

"Niall!" Louis yelled, running to the man. "What happened? What's wrong with Liam?"

"Shit mate," Niall hugged Louis tightly with his good arm, he had blood on his lip. "Some Coruscant bitch hit us during an attack, your ship's in pieces mate. Liam, fuck, Liam's side got hit as we were going down and he kept flying. He made sure we crashed in a safe spot. Saved my fuckin' life."

"What injuries does he have, Niall?" Harry asked quickly. "Why did they say it was serious?"

"I honestly don't know." Niall let out a sad sigh. "They pulled me out before I could get to him, but there was a lot of blood on his face."

"Shit. W-we have to see him," Louis rushed. "I have to know what happened to him."

"I know, let's--"

"Niall!"

The three of them heard Zayn come in next, going as fast as he could to Niall. Of course he had no injuries of any kind, but he was dirty from being in a fight. Zayn wrapped his arms around Niall, not noticing how the man winced from the pain. "You fucking idiot!"

"Ow, _ow_ dislocated shoulder Zee!" Niall whimpered, squirming in Zayn's grasp.

"Why didn't one of the medics fix it yet?" Zayn huffed as he inspected the shoulder.

"I've fixed plenty of these myself-"

"You mean _I've_ fixed plenty of these _for_ you." Zayn said with a concerned frown.

"Yes."

Zayn rolled his eyes and braced his hands on Niall's arm and shoulder. "You know the drill, bite down on something."

Niall stuffed his shirt into his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for Zayn to fix his shoulder. Harry and Louis looked away while Niall grunted and whined from the pain of having his shoulder popped back into place. "There," Zayn said as he gently rubbed Niall's sore shoulder. "Now what the fuck happened? Where's Liam?"

"He's in the back getting fixed up," Niall said, voice rough as his pain subsided. "He was hurt bad saving me, but we don't know exactly how yet."

"Shit." Zayn said, falling back into an empty chair. "H-he's alive though, right?"

"As far as we know." Harry said glumly. His brow furrowed as he turned his head to the back, staring at the noblemen's section. "We should go in there and wait. We should be there if anything happens."

The others silently agreed, but Louis was finding it hard to move, or breathe. Niall said there was a lot of blood on Liam's face. Who even knew what that meant? What if Liam was dead? What was Louis going to tell Sophia and Ava? He couldn't handle losing Liam, not after Yondu, not now. He didn't even notice that Niall and Zayn had already left, and it was just Harry still with him.

"Lou? Starlight answer me," Harry's soothing voice and strong grip shook Louis from his dark thoughts. "Louis, breathe for me."

"I'm sorry," Louis whined, eyes filling with tears. "I-I just... what if something happened to him? W-what if he's... what if he..."

Harry started shaking his head, pulling Louis into his arms. " _No,_ none of that talk. He's alive, Louis. We're going to go in and find out what happened, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I just... I can't lose anyone else, Harry." Louis whimpered, at least he felt safe in Harry's arms. He let Harry lead the way as they walked to the other room, to the place Louis was supposed to be in anyway.

It was so strange, having every eye on them as they walked by, but Louis was with the prince. He'd even accidentally made quite the display of being with the prince only moments ago. He couldn't tell if the eyes on him were judging or supportive, but he hoped for the latter. Louis knew how they all loved Harry, and how they would be very protective. Especially since the reason these people almost lost Harry was because of one of them.

Louis tried not to think about all of that as they walked together into the noblemen ward. These doctors were frantically running around, and it was all mostly circled around one bed in particular. When Louis saw Zayn and Niall, he knew that bed belonged to Liam. "Oh God."

"Hang in there Lou," Harry whispered. They approached the only empty side of the bed and watched as doctors injected serums into Liam. He had a thick bandage on his head, wrapped over his eyes. But the machines were beeping and whirring, and Liam's chest was moving ever so slightly.

Louis could breathe again. He let go of Harry and leaned forward on the bed, tears falling onto Liam's arm. "He's still alive!"

"Yes he is, but just barely so." One of the doctors said. "I'm afraid we weren't able to save one of his eyes, however. It um, well it was too burnt and bloody, so we had to remove it to stop infection."

Louis' sudden, manic laughter scared everyone standing around, including his friends. He was crying and laughing and not sure how he felt, but he knew he hadn't lost Liam. "I'd rather him lose an eye, than lose his life."

There were nervous chuckles all around, everyone unsure how to handle Louis at the moment. But Harry simple whispered, "I-I told you he was alive."

"Yeah," Louis said brokenly, he was a second away from collapsing. "Fuck, I-I'm so _happy_."

"Maybe give us a moment? If there's nothing else you need to do?" Zayn asked the doctor.

She nodded her head, put Liam's chart on the end of his bed. A few chairs were brought over so the four of them could actually sit down. "Oh, and you should all know this. We just got an announcement from the king. Coruscant is retreating. The invasion is over."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty please leave comments :) xx


	14. A Falling Star Fell From Your Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyy so lets pretend i didnt get writers block and actually updated this when i said i would lol okay good :)
> 
> Chapter title from "[Cosmic Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EIeUlvHAiM)" by Florence + the Machine

With the battle over and Coruscant in a very quick retreat, Star Fight and NOVA Corps had been set to help release the other providence planets. Xandiir was set to be cleared within a couple of days, and Xandor by the end of the week. Another unit was sent out to locate Nick Grimshaw and arrest him for treason like his parents.

Harry could've cared less if they actually caught him, however, because he had no interest in having that trial. He would have preferred if Nick were on the run and in constant fear for the rest of his life. All Harry wanted was to be with Louis, and somehow keep him on Xandar. He knew it would be a hard thing to do, because Louis had a yearning for space and adventure, Harry felt the same. But they were in _love_ , and everything would feel so dull without Louis by his side.

He didn't have any time to talk to Louis about it all, either, because Louis was busy looking after Liam. With such an extreme injury, Liam took longer to recover, and Louis wanted to watch over him until he did. It was a beautiful gesture, but Harry wanted only a moment to convince Louis to stay.

He thought he was going to get that moment, only a couple days after the battle. He and Louis were cuddled upon Harry's large royal bed, taking a break from caring for Liam, and just relaxing. Louis brushed Harry's long hair while sucking marks onto Harry's magenta skin. It was quiet, and it was cute, and Harry felt nothing but Louis' hands and lips on him.

"Lou- _oh_ , Baby I want t-to talk to you about something." Harry said through his moans. He really did want to talk, but it was so hard with Louis' legs wrapped around him, hard to focus on anything else.

"No offense, Prince Charming, but if you're not talking about those sweet lips of yours on my dick, then I really don't want to listen." Louis mumbled, grinding on Harry for extra emphasis. He never satisfied his adrenaline from the battle and really wanted to get laid, sue him.

"Oh shit, Starlight," Harry moaned. "That's really not it, but yeah," Harry was getting distracted by thoughts of sucking Louis' cock, making his lover whimper and writhe on the bed. There was plenty of time to talk, right? "Fuck, _fine_ , but then we talk."

"Anything you want Haz," Louis said with a devilish grin. He climbed off Harry's lap and laid back on the bed, legs spread and arms behind his head.

Harry just laughed at the way Louis shook his hips, and the Prince leaned down for a kiss. He trailed his hand down Louis' chest, all the way until he reached the hem of his pants. Harry popped open the button easily, and pulled down the zip, dragging the moment out to tease Louis.

Which Harry probably shouldn't have done, because before they could even get anywhere, there was a loud knock at the door. Harry groaned and Louis gasped and slapped the prince's hand away, as they heard a servant shout, "Your Majesty! You have been summoned by the King and Queen to the royal throne room. They expect you immediately."

" _Ugh_ ," Harry groaned some more, sitting up on the side of the bed and adjusting himself. "Find. I'll be there soon."

Louis shook his hair out and straightened his clothes, even though no one could see him. "What do you think they want?"

"Honestly Louis, I never know with them." Harry said in a very annoyed tone. "We'll finish everything when I get back, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Louis sighed. He crawled to the end of the bed to give Harry one last kiss. "Just agree to whatever they say so they'll be done fast. Then you can come back here and relax while I ride you, yeah?"

Harry licked his lips, and adjusted his pants again. "I thought I was sucking you off?"

Louis shrugged. "I'm pretty flexible when it comes to giving orgasms, Haz."

"I love you." Harry blurted.

"I love you too, now get out."

Harry chuckled as he made his way to the door. He made sure to close the door all the way once he exited, and put his hair up in a bun as he walked. Whatever they wanted to talk about was probably going to put everyone in a sour mood. Harry figured if it wasn't anything important, then they would talk about it during the next banquet.

The usual guards stood by the entrance to the throne room, and they lowered their heads when Harry walked up. Harry nodded at them as the doors were opened and his parents were revealed. His mother looked very nervous to see him as she held his father's hand, the king was less nervous and more stern. This wasn't going to be good.

"Well, what's this very important thing you need to discuss?" Harry asked, arms crossed over his chest.

Queen Anne coughed behind her hand to clear her throat, and it was obvious she knew Harry wouldn't react well. "Your father and I have had some very serious discussions, and we... we really think it would be in your best interest to retire from SFI Navigation, and pursue the career in political affairs."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, you must be joking. I cannot believe you want to have this talk again."

"Harry please--"

"Son," the King said, looking even more angry. "We indulged you for this SFI shit as far as I can indulge. Too many times have you proven that it's too dangerous."

"It's the damn army!" Harry shouted. "It's supposed to be dangerous!"

"We just don't understand why you would put yourself through all of this," Queen Anne said in a much more gentle voice.

"Excuse me for thinking that protecting the planet and province I love so much was an honorable and fulfilling way to live." Harry snapped.

"It is for anyone else on this damn planet." The King retorted. "But not for you."

"Why not?"

"We almost lost you, several times." Anne said. "And we almost lost Lord Ashton as well. Gemma has no heir yet, don't you see? Until she has one, the family's royal line rests on you."

"Of course," Harry groaned. "Everything with you two is about the damn royal line. Who cares if the prince is miserable, so long as he's alive to keep the family tree going."

"Oh Harry, please listen--"

"No, you listen!" Harry shouted again. "I may be your son, and I maybe the prince, but I'm not a helpless kid. You can't me sit here bored out of my mind when adventure and honor are right there for me to grab. If any of this has taught me, if Louis has taught me, I know that I'm capable of more than  _you_ think."

"Is that what this is about then? Some pretty bounty hunter putting nonsense in your head?" Robin grunted. "He's practically a criminal"

Harry was raging, and he was seconds away from assaulting his own father. He stalked up to the King's throne with his hands backed into fists, and a snarl on his lips. "Don't you _dare_ talk about him that way. That man is as much a criminal as you and me. He is the best person I know, and I--"

Harry stopped himself with a deep breath, containing the anger his father had brought out. But Anne caught the last bit of what he said, and she stood up from her throne to approach him. "Harry? What were you going to say?"

He looked at his mother, who loved him so much and looked so afraid that she was hurting him. "I love him, okay?"

"Oh, my darling boy."

"Oh please," Robin said with a roll of his eyes. "Love? That's laughable at best, Harry. Do you think he loves you too?"

"I know he does." Harry grumbled. "I was going to ask him to stay with me, when you two interrupted me."

"You really think he'd want to stay?" Robin scoffed. "Someone like him doesn't love, and they search for trouble. As soon as we give him the bounty, he's gone."

"You don't even know him," Harry said. "You haven't tried to get to know him. You didn't even hire him, Gemma did!"

 

 

 

Back in Harry's room, Louis lay out on the bed, casually palming himself to keep his cock hard for when the prince returned. It was taking longer than Louis thought it would, and he was growing bored. He rolled onto his side and looked at the pictures Harry had on his bedside table.

There was one of him and Gemma, another of him and Ashton, but the last one caught Louis' attention. It was a black and white picture of Harry's unit in SFI. They were all in their uniforms, smiling proudly at the camera, with Harry smack in the middle. Louis couldn't help but stare at it. This was the thing Harry loved, the reason he was in space and captured for Louis to rescue him. And Harry spoke so highly of it.

Obviously, Harry would continue to serve SFI, and if Louis stayed like he secretly wanted too, he'd never see the prince. Maybe this was just a short chapter in Louis' life, and he was never meant to help the prince. Or, and Louis liked this idea, he could get off his ass and fight to keep Harry in his life. He was complacent and unattached for too long, and it was time for Louis to get some happiness and keep it.

Louis' only solution was a bit crazy, probably impossible, but he was determined to try. Surely after everything these past few weeks, he's proven himself worthy to these people on Xandar.

He hopped off the bed and went over to Harry's big touch screen. Luckily there was no pass code, and it was easy to find the contact list. Louis pressed the option for General Drax, Commander of the entire SFI, and waited for the call to go through.

The man appeared on the screen dark purple skin with red scars all around his body. "I was expecting to see Prince Harry. What is your business?"

"Um, my name is Louis Tomlinson, sir," Louis said. He took a deep breath when he was sure Drax  knew who he was. "I need to talk to you about something very important."

 

 

 

"Harry, You have to be a Prince before everything else." King Robin said sternly.

"Robin! Harry says he's in love, you wouldn't be so cruel as to take that away from your own son?" Anne gasped.

"It's a moot point!" Robin sneered. "Harry cannot stay in SFI _and_ be with Louis at the same time. He wants a choice, well now he has it. But I can guarantee that Tomlinson will take his money and leave once he gets it!"

"He wouldn't do that to me! None of them would." Harry said. "They're all my friends now and nobody's just going to abandon anyone. When are you giving them the bounty?"

"Tonight, Harry. We finally got it all back together." Anne told him in her soft, sweet voice.

"There you go! Tonight you'll see that he loves me too and he's going to stay." Harry sighed. "I only want him to be happy, and in turn, it would be nice if my own parents wanted _me_ to be happy too."

King Robin wanted to say another thing, something about how naive Harry was being, but Anne had a vice-like grip on his arm that was shutting him up. He groaned and sat back in the throne, waiving Harry off with his wrist. Anne let go and pulled Harry into an embrace. "We do, we want you to be happy, and we want you to be safe. At least consider what we said."

Harry kissed her cheek and pushed her arms away. "I have, for _years_ now. The answer won't change any time soon."

Queen Anne nodded disappointingly and let her son go, sitting back in her own throne. Harry left as fast as possible, and he wasn't going to mess around this time. He was going to convince Louis to stay, they could figure it all out together.

He practically sprinted to his bed chambers, but when he got back, they were empty. "Louis?"

Of course, there was no answer, and it made Harry anxious, until he saw the note left for him on the bed.

**Harry, I know I promised blow jobs and dick riding all that, but there's something important I need to do. I'll see you at dinner tonight. ~Louis xxx**

+

The prince quietly walked to the smaller dining hall of the palace, where a private banquet was being held to present the bounty reward. It was just a small thank you from the royal family to the rescue group for everything they'd done, though Harry still felt like it wasn't enough. There was no calculable amount of thank you's he could give to his friends for their help. For their sacrifices.

He was at least going to offer Louis the universe, and a life together, if Louis wanted to take it. Harry would wrestle down any of Xandar's five moons for Louis if he wanted. There wasn't much Harry wouldn't do for Louis, and yet none of it could make up for all the ways Louis saved him. Harry didn't mind giving it all to Louis, though, because he was certainly worth it.

Harry took a breath before entering the dining hall, just a moment to himself in case his father wanted to start any trouble. Harry was ready for any sort of obstacle put in his and Louis' way, there were already so many during the journey. He pushed open the door, and of course he was the last one in there, why not?

King Robin sat at the end of the table, with Princess Gemma and a very sick looking Lord Ashton to his left. Zayn and Niall were also sat on their side, and they were deep into a conversation with Ash. Queen Anne sat directly to Robin's right side, and she was whispering something, and by the frown on his face it wasn't something he wanted to hear. To Harry's surprise, Liam was joining them, and he seemed to be mostly healed, apart from the black leather eye patch on his face. It actually made him look handsome and intimidating, in the prince's opinion.

Then there was Louis, beautiful as ever and smiling at Harry in the doorway. He was wearing one of Harry's shirts too, the prince recognized it from his collection. It was also a few sizes big on Louis. "Haz! Come on, we've been waiting."

Harry gained a very satisfied smirk on his face when he saw the way Robin pursed his lips, annoyed that Louis wasn't speaking to Harry in a formal matter. The prince would never make Louis talk to him as though he were some common stranger, and the King would understand that eventually. "Sorry, I wasn't sure when we were meant to start."

"Please sit so we may begin, we do have rewards to hand out." King Robin said tensely. He motioned to the spot at the end of the table, but Harry ignored the silent request and sat next to Louis. King Robin scowled. "Fine then."

The chef and servants brought out an artful looking seafood meal, which Niall was the first to dig into. Sometime during the day he had a bandage wrapped around his shoulder, and it was constricting its movements. "This is delicious, Your Majesties. Perfect last mean here on Xandar."

"We're happy you think so, Mr. Horan." Queen Anne said sweetly. "It's just one part of our thank you to the current heroes of the province."

"You're being more than generous to us all." Liam said. It was the first time Harry heard him speak since before the battle, and his voice was rougher than the prince remembered. "I do look forward to going home in the morning, however. This is the longest I have been away from home since my daughter was born."

"Well, we hope each of you has a swift journey back to your respective homes tomorrow." King Robin said, eyeing Louis specifically. Thankfully, Louis was in the middle of taking a bite of his fish and he didn't even see it.

"Zayn and I don't have a _home_ , per say," Niall said between bites. "We could always go back to the moon I was born on, see the family and all that, but we never had a place to really settle."

Louis made a very small noise of excitement, quiet enough for only Harry to hear. When the prince looked at Louis, he thought Louis had a grin like he was planning something. If only Harry knew what it was. Did it have to do with where Louis would be settling down? He'd probably have to go back to Tattooine, wouldn't he? Now that Yondu was gone, Louis was the owner of the track. He couldn't just let that business go down, not when all the people of the planet loved it so much.

"You two will land on your feet, I'm sure." King Robin said. "And what about you, Louis? Where will you be going tomorrow?"

Louis suddenly fell into a nervous demeanor, even dropping his fork onto the plate. He coughed a few times and looked up to see every eye was on him. "Well, I-I was sort of hoping to say all of this after the dinner and after we got the reward money."

Harry tensed under the smirk his father started to give him. He refused to believe his father was right about Louis and the reward money. He put a hand on Louis' thigh under the table, mostly to reassure himself that Louis was there and whatever he was going to say wasn't going to hurt.

"I-I spoke to a few people today, General Drax actually." Louis started and it surprised everyone else in the room. "See, um, we came to an agreement of sorts, but King Robin has to give his consent to it."

"Louis? What are you saying?" Harry asked, heartbeat picking up with each passing second.

"I'm saying that, because of recent events, General Drax has agreed to let me join SFI." Louis said quickly, he couldn't even look at the King. Instead, Louis focused his attention directly to Harry. "He said they would test me on a few things and put me in an advanced level of training. I-I just really wanted to stay, because I love it here, and I love..."

Louis stopped because he wasn't sure about telling everyone in the room his feelings for Harry. All he could do was look into the prince's eyes, which were tearing up at the news. Nobody had ever seen Prince Harry so relieved or happy, not even Gemma or Ashton. He didn't even have to ask Louis to stay, because he wanted to, and he'd already solved the problem for them. It felt like a miracle.

Of course King Robin couldn't sit in silence, waiting to hear what this Louis person had to say. And then he saw the look in his son's eyes. A look of pure love and joy, and it softened the King's heart. He only wanted what was best for Harry and the kingdom, and if that best thing was a non-Xandarian commoner, then so be it. Maybe it was time Harry got to put himself before what the royal family wanted. "You may finish your explanation, Louis."

The man snapped out of the hypnotic gaze of the prince and spoke to the King, "I love Harry, Your Grace. I-I didn't know this job would cause this to happen, but it did. And now I'd like to stay with him, for as long as he'll have me."

_Forever_ , Harry thought, but he only said, "I want you to stay too."

The king sighed, not even believing the words that were about to come out of his own mouth. "Then you can. I'll send word to Drax that you are authorized for training."

"This is wonderful news!" Queen Anne said. All she could think was that there could be _two_ royal weddings to come in the next few years. "And I can't think of anyone better to be by Harry's side while away."

Harry perked up at that. "So, you're okay with me staying in SFI?"

"Not at all, but I can't stop you," Robin said. It was a good enough answer for Harry.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Niall cut in. "Louis? You're not going back to Tattooine?"

Louis shrugged. "It wasn't exactly my real home."

"But... what about the racing track?" Zayn asked.

"I mean, I have some plans for that. I can't every well let it close." Louis said, smiling at them both. "In fact, another person I spoke to today was H. Washburne, one of Yondu's business partners, err not technically partner, but he's the one running the track now. Anyway, they agreed with my terms and also offered to work for and help the new owners."

"Who are the new owners?" Niall asked, fingers drumming on the table. He had a feeling about what the answer to his question was, but he was dying to really hear it.

"I was hoping it would be you two."

A bit of food almost dropped from Niall's mouth as he reacted to the news. His heart might have stopped for a moment, he couldn't be sure. All Niall knew was that Louis was just _giving_ them this gift, and he loved that track as much as they did. It was a dream come true for Niall to get to be a part of those races. Maybe he'd get his own pod with the bounty money and join the competition once in a while. "Louis, you have no idea what that would mean. I-- _we_ would love to own the track, wouldn't we Zayn?"

The hybrid nodded his head. "I can't think of a better way to spend our retirement from bounty hunting. Thank you Louis, really."

"There's a few contracts you can sign after this, but honestly, I'm happy to pass it on to you." Louis said.

Gemma clapped her hands for them, beaming at her brother. "Well, since we're all into the spirit of giving, I've got my own news! Louis we did the best we could, and not every part could be recovered, but of course some of it was still lost in the crash... anyway, our best mechanics are fixing the Donny the best they can. It should be up and running tomorrow."

"Oh my, you didn't have to," Louis said in shock.

"It was really no trouble, though now that you'll be in training, I suppose it was a wasted effort." Princess Gemma said, timidly biting her lip.

"No, thank you so much." Louis said gratefully. "I know I can't use it during training, but I got it from Yondu and well... it's nice to have it around."

We'll keep it safe here at the palace while you're away," Anne said. "And I guess now is as good a time as any to transfer your bounty money? We can get all the formalities out of the way and really enjoy our meal."

"Excellent idea, Anne." King Robin said before summoning over one of the servants. He was handed a royal miniscreen with the family's crest imprinted on the back, and pressed through a few sections of it. "I believe the final total was six billion units, correct?"

The group nodded their heads, and Liam said, "Yes sir, and 1.5 billion each. We already discussed it."

"Perfect." Robin said as he started to make the transfers.

Louis looked at Liam for a moment, at the eye patch and the scaring still around it. he felt so bad for getting Liam into this mess, and for how the girls must have felt back on Tarth. Louis knew Liam wanted a bigger family, and he wanted them to have a good life. There was really no reason for Louis to take that much money, not when he'd just be staying with Harry anyway, sir?"

 Robin looked up from the screen after transferring Niall and Zayn's bounty. "Yes, Louis?"

"Just transfer mine to Liam."

"What?" Liam asked, placing a hand on Louis' shoulder. "You do not have to--"

" _Yes_ , I do." Louis said. "You need it more than I do. Your Grace, please, I want Liam to have my share."

"Very well then. Three billion units to Mr. Payne," King Robin said as he finalized the transfer.

Liam pulled Louis into a hug, which felt awkward from the angle at first, but was warm and friendly. "Thank you Louis, thank you so much."

"Anything for you Li, and Sophia." Louis mumbled into Liam's ear. "You guys are pretty much the only family I've got left."

"You will not be letting me repay for this, will you?" Liam asked. he was definitely tearing up.

"No not at all." Louis said with a smirk. "But if you and Sophia have a son next, feel free to name him after me."

"I do not think... oh," Liam started, but then slowly realized Louis was kidding. "This is a joke."

"Yes Li, it's a joke," Louis said fondly as he clapped Liam on the back a few times. The rest of the table, save for the king who was still a little on edge about the recent changes, laughed with them.

The rest of the meal was relatively relaxed, the attention being turned to Lord Ashton and Gemma. The Queen had a lot of questions regarding their marriage, considering they'd almost lost him. She wanted it to be all planned out as soon as possible, but Gemma was more focused on Ashton's recovery and fixing up the Province. Coruscant might have left, but they still had crimes to answer for.

Harry, however, couldn't stop thinking about what Louis had done. He was going to stay with him, and he was joining Star Fight. It was all so much but Harry's heart was bursting from the excitement.

+

The next morning, Harry found himself once again not wanting to leave the bed he shared with Louis. The only motivator Harry had to leave was the knowledge that Louis would be spending many nights with him, in all sorts of beds they were provided in Star Fight. Of course Harry knew that Louis would go through training on either Xandor or Xandiir, and he'd be gone for months, maybe over a year, but Louis was staying. Never did Harry think he'd get to make himself happy while also doing his royal duty.

Except, he really wasn't doing his royal duty. Not by what his parents' standards were, anyway. The fact that Louis was staying allowed Harry to finish out his membership of Star Fight, for however long the two of them wanted, but he knew the King and Queen still wished their prince would become a diplomat. He had all the education he needed for it, since politics and law was what Harry studied at school before he was seventeen and enlisting. Eventually entering that kind of life wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.

Louis' hand that was resting over Harry's stomach form where he lay behind the prince, started wandering up to the prince's chest. Louis rubbed along the pink skin and his small fingers traced circles right over Prince Harry's heart. "Morning Prince Charming, what are you thinking about?"

Harry yawned and pulled Louis' hand up to his lips, kissing each finger. "Nothing, Starlight."

"Oh come on," Louis urged, voice heavy with sleep. "You were staring off at nothing for five minutes. Tell me what's on your mind."

"I'm just... I'm happy, because I love you," Harry started, sighing happily when he felt Louis burry his face into his neck. "But part of me still feels like something could go wrong. This is all too good to be true."

"Sort of feels like it's all a dream, right?" Louis asked. He'd been having the same feelings, because life was never that simple or easy. It never just worked out for him how he planned or wanted it to. "It's scary, but it's not a dream."

"I know, of course it's not a dream," Harry said. He turned over and draped his arm over Louis' back, low enough for his hand to sit just above Louis' bare bum, "But it still feels incomplete, like with my parents. They gave in too easily to all of this with you, and it's not like them."

"Maybe they finally gave up on trying to mold you into what they want." Louis said. "It is possible that they just want you to be happy for once."

"I wish, but it doesn't feel that way." Harry mumbled. He couldn't help the nagging feeling on his mind that his parents were waiting for the opportune time to take everything away from him. He knew they never meant it in a malicious way, but the King and Queen were so stuck in the traditional Xandar ways. Both of them followed what they were supposed to do when they were young and dreaming, and it must have been frustrating to have a son who was so dammed stubborn. "I'll just have to accept that they'll never be satisfied with what I do."

"Harry, at some point it's gotta be about what makes you happy." Louis said. "No offence, but fuck them. You're not the King and you won't ever be, so why do you have to follow their rules?"

"I've been asking myself that question my entire life." Harry groaned. he rolled himself on top of Louis' body and pinned Louis' hands above his head. "You're gonna have to remind me of this every day, now that you're staying."

"Oh don't you worry Prince Charming, I won't ever let you turn into some boring old bureaucrat." Louis giggled, wiggling his hips up at Harry's. "Although, I'm going to be gone for training for a while, and if you don't want another partner... what are you going to do?"

Harry hadn't thought about that at all, he was too happy about Louis. They would have to assign him a new partner while Louis was training, because Harry couldn't just sit on his ass and wait for him for a year. "Shit. Maybe I'll take a year off until you're ready for assignment."

"You can't do that, your parents wouldn't allow it." Louis said. He wiggled his hands out of Harry's grip, and pushed the prince's long hair behind his ears. Louis nervously thought of a solution to all of it, and he didn't think Harry would like what he came up with. "Maybe, and this might a strange idea, but just hear me out... maybe you should consider working with your family and the peace movements."

" _Louis_ , didn't you just say you wouldn't let me become one of them?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Yeah, _forever_ , but if you don't want to have a Fighter who isn't me, and you want to satisfy your parents a little, this is the best way to do it." Louis said. "Charming, don't be mad at me for saying this. I only want to find a good compromise, and I would have thought you'd at least want to help with the war crimes trials."

"I don't know, I'm afraid if I help them, then I'll be forced to stay." Harry groaned. He rested his body back down onto Louis, laying his head on Louis' tan chest. "They can handle it without me anyway."

"Harry," Louis said sternly. "Nick Grimshaw and his family betrayed this province and almost got it taken over by your enemies. You were kidnapped and _sold_ for fuck's sake, cast off for a few units to live in a tank until you died. How could you not want to bring justice to these people?"

"I do, Baby, I do..." Harry whispered. Of course he did. "Could... could we revisit this conversation later? We're taking the boys home today, and we should really get to that."

"Oh alright." Louis said in a deflated tone. He only wanted to help Harry get everyone off his back so they could just be together. Louis pushed up on Harry's shoulders, giving him a kiss that he meant to give upon waking up, and rolled off the bed. They were both naked during their sleep, and Louis could feel Harry's eyes on his body while he stretched. "If you keep staring at my arse, we're going to be late for an entirely different reason."

The prince licked his lips, eyes moving their vision from Louis' arse, to the marbled scar on his lower back. He reached up and touched his fingers along the bumpy skin, Louis no longer was phased by the constant touching of his scar. "Not my fault you're so beautiful. So we're late, their planets aren't going anywhere."

" _Harry_ , we have to get them home, they earned it." Louis said as he walked over to the closet and started pulling out some of Harry's clothes for himself. "I can't keep Liam from his wife for much longer. Besides, there'll be plenty of time for sex _any_ other time after today."

"At least let me blow you."

"No Haz, get up and get dressed." Louis said, ignoring Harry's frustrated whine.

 

 

 

"Wow, the Donny is looking really good!" Niall said as he inspected the outside of the newly rebuilt ship. The exterior had been combined with parts of a broken Star Fight ship so it was a little smaller, but over all had the same shape. Niall had just come out of it, so he could look at how different the inside was, and it seemed to be all mostly the same, if a little dented up. "Louis' gonna be so happy with it."

"Where is Louis anyway?" Liam asked, anxious and eager to just go home.

"I'm pretty sure he's still with Prince Harry, probably having a busy morning in bed." Zayn said with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around Niall's back. "See, I knew you and I would have had time."

"Time for what?" Prince Harry asked as he and Louis walked out to the royal flight deck.

"Nothin'," Niall said, flicking Zayn's hand. "See, I didn't think they would do it either."

"Are we all set to depart?" Liam asked quickly, not hiding any sense of urgency he felt.

"Yeah Li, we're--whoa! Look at my ship!" Louis said as the Donny came into view. "Oh, Harry, your mechanics did a great job."

"Yeah, it looks pretty much the same," Harry said, tapping the side with his hand. He noticed the way Liam had his arms crossed tightly over his chest, and the impatient tap of his toes on the ground. "Let's talk more about it on the way to Tarth."

Liam was the first on the ship, with the others not far behind him. Louis went straight to the cockpit, and thankfully the entire system had been saved and rebooted. He would have them up and running in no time, at least if he had a co-pilot to help. "Niall? Co-pilot with me on the way to Tarth? You know the system better than I do at this point."

"Oh I wouldn't say _that_ ," Niall said with a cocky grin. He sat down in the co-pilot's seat and flexed his green hands, before getting to work on starting up the system. "Looks like they had to remove most of the weapons I installed."

"I don't think she'll be seeing any more battles anyway," Louis said as he directed power to their warp core, changing it up. "Old Donny's gonna have to be a recreational ship from now on."

"You know, you never did tell me where the name 'Donny' came from," Harry said as he joined the two in the cockpit, along with Zayn and Liam.

"Huh, thought I told you everything," Louis said pensively. "Well, it's named after Doncaster, my home town on Earth. Funny, 'cause I never really liked it there."

"Oh no," Niall suddenly interrupted, all the color draining from his green face. "Louis, I'm so sorry, but when me and Liam crashed... I didn't even think about it..."

"What?" Louis asked urgently. "What's wrong?"

"The picture of your sister, and your book from Earth. I think we lost them in the ocean." Niall regrettably told him.

But, to everyone's surprise, Louis only started laughing at him. "Ni, those are in Harry's room as we speak. You didn't really think I'd let you go to battle with my most prized possessions, did you?"

Niall's cheeks darkened and he quietly went back to his job as co-pilot. He mumbled, "I guess not then."

  "Could we maybe get a move on?" Liam asked. He was getting impatient, having to wait so long to get home. He longed so much to just be in Sophia's arms again, to rest in their tree house with Ava. All Liam wanted was to go home and stay there for a long time.

 

 

 

"I'm gonna go out with him." Louis said once they landed by Liam's property on Tarth. Liam ran down to the lower level before the ship even touched the ground. He kissed Harry on the cheek and jogged to catch up with his friend.

The tree house was how they'd left it so long ago, but the day was dimmer and rainier. There was one light on in a window far up the tree, right where Ava's room was, and Liam just stopped in his tracks to stare at it. Louis stood behind him, placing a comforting hand on the man's shoulder, and they both looked at the house together.

"I very well may never leave them again." Liam said in a quiet voice.

"Well, I promise to never take you away again," Louis said sincerely. He gave Liam a soft shove to the door, using both hands to get him moving.

The man pulled out his key and unlocked the door, opening it to a dark front hall.  "Sophia Ava?"

They could hear a clattering upstairs, and the sound of frantic feet running over the wood floors. Liam was frozen in place again, just waiting for his girls to come to him. It was his wife who got to him first, since it was so late, Ava was probably asleep, and she gasped when she saw the eye patch. She covered her mouth with one of her hands, while the other reached up to Liam's face while she approached. She barely touched the cheek under the injured eye, tenderly rubbing her thumb against it, and Liam let out a very deep breath at the feeling.

Then she slapped him. His cheek stung at the impact, but there was no time to recover before she slapped him again.

But then Sophia kissed Liam, so deep and passionately that Louis had to look away. Liam's good eye leaked tears as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and she had a vice-like grip on his shoulders. When she pulled back, Sophia was barely holding back her sobs of joy. "You are really home! I-I never thought this day would come."

"Of course it would, My Love, I could not live without you." Liam mumbled as he held her as close as possible.

"That is what I was afraid of, that you would not live at all," she sobbed.

Louis coughed, just so he could say one thing and then let them be for their reunion. "Soph, I promise I won't ever take him again. I-I'm sorry for not even bringing him back in one piece."

She smiled at his apology, then at Liam's face. "Oh Louis, I am only happy to have him back at all. The patch does make him look rather rugged, anyway."

"I thought so too," Louis said with a weak smile. "I'll leave you guys for now, tell Ava that Spaceman Louis said hello."

"We will," Sophia said. "And Louis? You will still always be welcome in our home."

"Thanks Soph, might be a while before I visit again." Louis said as he walked back out the door. The last thing he saw before shutting it, was Liam lifting Sophia up and carrying her towards the stairs. Before they left Louis felt so distanced from their life, as if what Liam and Sophia had was so far off from what Louis would ever get. Now with Harry, it didn't seem so strange anymore.

He walked back to the ship by himself, looking over his shoulder one last time at Liam's house, at the happiness that he knew was being made inside it. Louis smiled to himself and joined the other boys in the cockpit, letting Niall once again take the pilot's seat.

Zayn moved over on his seat to let Louis next to him, and asked, "How did it go?"

"Well, she wasn't mad or anything. Just happy to see Liam, and I've... I've never seen anyone so happy." Louis said, tone soft and fond. He always admired their love for each other. "But, now we have to get to Tattooine, get you two in charge of your new Pod Track."

 

 

 

Tattooine must have really felt the effects of Yondu's passing, because it was bleak everywhere. It hardly rained on the desert planet, but the ground was wet and the skies were grey. Louis wished he could have brought these people better news, but he knew that Niall and Zayn would help brighten the place up. If anyone could put the life back, it was those two.

"Harry? Wait here again? This won't take long." Louis said as he led the boys out of the ship.

"Sure thing, Starlight," Harry called to him, propping his feet upon the dash.

Louis' arms went around Niall and Zayn's shoulders as they all walked together to Yondu's old track. "So," Niall started. "What's this guy's name again?"

"Washburne, he's the manager." Louis said. "He's also a family friend, and knows everything there is to running the track. He'll keep you organized while you're starting out."

"I can't believe all of this is ours," Zayn said, staring slack-jawed at the track. "And Yondu's villa too."

"Life of luxury indeed boys." Louis said, letting go of them once they were at the door. He used his handprint to unlock it, and held the door open for them. "And at the Villa, just move all of Yondu's things into storage, and don't go near my room."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Niall said, practically running inside.

He was met with the sound of clanging metal, as something very big was dropped behind a desk. A gangly man, with a scraggly beard, glasses, a bald head, and with the usual Tattooine blue skin, stood up with a very large wrench in one hand. "Louis! Good to see you Kiddo!"

"You too Wash," Louis said, embracing the man. He stepped back and gestured to his friends. "And this is Niall and Zayn, your new track owners."

"Good to meet the two of you!" Wash said, shaking both of their hands enthusiastically. "Heard you boys had quite a bit of fun during the tournament."

"Louis had more run," Niall said, clapping Louis on the back. "He actually got to race."

"Ah but you get to run it! Which means you can race anytime you want." Wash told them.

"He's got a point there boys." Louis said. "Well, I've got to be off, do you have the contracts ready?"

"Right here," Wash said as he pulled up the contract screens. Louis signed and dated all the spots, and handed off the screens to Niall and Zayn, while Wash sighed, a little sadly, at him. "Really is a shame you won't be staying at this place. But Yondu would be proud of you now. He'd be proud of anything you do."

"Thanks Wash, that's good to hear from one of his closest friends," Louis said, giving the man one last hug goodbye. He then did the same for his friends, lingering in both their arms for a little longer. "Take good care of her, boys. Harry and I will visit as soon as we can."

"Take your time," Zayn said. "We know there's a lot to sort out back there."

"Yeah Lou, we're gonna do our best here." Niall assured him.

Louis nodded to his boys, then left them with Wash to start learning the trade. He slowly walked back to the ship, taking the time to look at the planet that served as home for so long. It felt a little empty without Yondu waving goodbye.

+

"I'm really going to miss those two," Louis said as he sat down in the pilot's seat. "I'm gonna miss everyone while I'm at training."

Prince Harry smiled to himself. a little sad, and a little proud of his Louis. He was going to miss him too, but he knew that Louis being gone for training only meant they would be able to stay together in the long run. He watched while Louis started everything up, and just as Louis was about to put them into hyper-space, Harry stopped him. He gently grabbed Louis' hand of the gears, and left the ship in a hover.

"Is it alright if I drive this time?" Harry asked, "You can rest up for a little while."

Louis just shrugged, and then yawned suddenly, like he hadn't even realized how tired he was until Harry said something. "Yeah, fine with me. I'll just be down in my bunk err, what's left of it anyway."

When the ship was fixed, there wasn't enough exterior to replace all of Louis' bunks, so he only had two total, and just one other lower level. He didn't mind the changes, though, since they'd made any effort at all to recover it. He gave Harry a kiss before getting up, and whispered a sleepy _'I love you'_ , then slowly made his way to the ladder for the lower bunks.

Once he was sure Louis was all the way into the bunk, Harry started to rearrange the coordinates of their destination. He'd found the location before they left Liam's planet, and he'd been waiting for a good time to take Louis. It was just going to be a last little gift the prince would give to his love, a nice surprise before everything got serious on Xandar. He knew once they were home, King Robin would push Louis into training as soon as possible, and Harry would have to figure out how he would spend his year. Maybe helping with the war crimes trials wouldn't be so bad.

Harry shook himself from his thoughts and punched in the final coordinate, charging up the warp core at the same time. He started up the ship and blasted off as soon as he could, letting the autopilot take them not to Xandar, but to Louis' home planet instead. Earth.

 

 

 

"Lou? Baby wake up." Harry's gentle voice calmly whispered, soothing Louis out of his slumber. "I have to show you something."

"Huh?" Louis blinked a few times, shaking himself from his sleep. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no... err--I hope not," Harry said, helping Louis stand up. "We've landed somewhere."

"Oh, engine trouble?" Louis asked, scratching the sleep from his eyes.

"Nope," Harry said, looking out the porthole nervously. "I landed us here on purpose."

"Oh? Are we at Xandar already?" Louis asked.

"No, um, just look for yourself," Harry said, pointing to the radar screen.

Louis approached with a puzzled frown, but nearly fainted when he saw where they were, " _Harry_ , w-why did you bring me to Earth?"

"I wanted to do something nice for you... and well, there's also _her_ ," Harry said, nodding to the window.

Louis didn't know how he could have missed it before, the house number 78 right outside. Harry found his grandparent's house. There, sitting on the porch with her phone in hand, was Lottie. Louis' little sister, "Oh my."

She looked even better than the pictures Harry got. She was smiling, and typing away to someone, looking so beautiful. Louis almost started crying at the sight. Lottie was only feet away, and it would be so easy to just walk out and greet her, reunite after all those years.

"Do you want to say something to her?" Harry asked.

"No," Louis sighed, happily though. "She thinks I'm dead, so showing myself could make her think she's gone crazy. But look at her, Haz."

"I am," Harry said, holding Louis' hand. "She looks like you, a lot."

"Yeah," Louis said, empty hand stroking down the window. "This is my grandparent's house, I remember going here as a kid."

"Do you think she's living here now?" Harry asked.

"I hope so," Louis said with a low, stern voice. "I hope they got her away from those people. She does look happy, and healthy, no bruises that we can see."

"We can keep tabs on her, you know?" Harry said. "We can check up and make sure she's okay, from time to time. This planet is already under Xandar observation, anyway."

"Yes I would--I'd really appreciate that." Louis said gratefully. "How is she not seeing us now?"

"I've got us in stealth mode," Harry said with a shrug. "Legally, we can't show ourselves here."

"Oh right," Louis said, still staring at his grown up sister. "They'd probably think we were here to take over the world anyway."

"Is that what Earthlings think of Alien life?" Harry asked, laughing at the thought.

"Pretty much." Louis said. He watched as Lottie looked over her shoulder, and ran back into the house with a smile on her face. He turned to Harry, and tugged the prince down for a deep kiss. "Thank you, Harry. This... this means the world to me."

"Anything to make you happy, Louis." Harry said against his lips. "Anything for the person who makes me so happy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys. the very last chapter is next. gays in space is almost done!!!!


	15. We'll Float in Space, Just You and I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yayyyy last chapter!!! had so much fun writing this, no matter how much creative trouble it gave me ;)
> 
> Chapter title from "[Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB7E1D_3Na4)" by Spiritualized 

"It's been two months, you don't have to baby me," Lord Ashton said as Harry helped him walk out to the palace balcony, the one over the garden. Ashton was almost at 100% recovery, but he did still have trouble walking, so he used a cane.

Harry didn't mind helping him out either, though. "I know, but you walk so slowly now."

"Where's Louis? Why aren't you bothering him?" Ashton jokingly asked, he didn't care that Harry was being extra cautious around him.

"He's still talking to the General." Harry said. The two of them sat at an ivory table on the balcony, where freshly hot tea was waiting for them. "All the tests they put him through said that he would only have to go through the final stages of training."

"How long's that going to take?"

"About a year." Harry said quietly. He was so proud of Louis, beyond it even, but a year was so long to be apart. It wasn't like Harry would be sitting around and bored waiting for Louis, because after a few arguments and lots of compromising, Louis finally convinced Harry to help with the war crimes trials. The prince wasn't exactly looking forward  to it, but he knew that this would be the thing that really convinced his parents that he was responsible. Once Louis finished training, Harry could do whatever he wanted.

"That's a long time." Ashton said. He looked sadly at his friend, because he understood what Harry was feeling.  He never thought the prince would fall in love so hard so fast, much like Ashton had done with Gemma, but here they both were. "What kind of training is he going to be in?"

"Well, for my final stages, they dropped us in the forests of Xandiir with very little supplies and said good luck." Harry said of the survival stage. He was pretty confident that Louis would be fine completing that stage. "That's actually one month of it, then they have to work as a Fighter/Navigator pair for advanced simulations and real life situations. It's easier than it sounds."

"Yeah but a month of survival? That's so long without communication back to here." Ashton said, remembering how hard it was during his own training. NOVA Corps actually required three consecutive months of survival training, and it was pure hell.

"I know, how'd you do it?" Harry asked, sipping his tea. "When I was gone I just kept my mind on the task, but it was probably harder for you, and it's gonna be harder for him."

"Thought about Gemma, mostly."

"Ew."

"Oh shut up," Ashton said with a laugh, kicking Harry under the table with one of his sore legs. "I thought about everyone back home, and it helped. Louis will be fine."

"Yeah, he's strong and he's smart." Harry said fondly. "I only--" Prince Harry was cut off by an alert on his miniscreen, a message from Louis. "Err, hold on Ash."

**Just finished the meeting! I leave in a week :/**

_Awww Babe, that doesn't leave a lot of time._

**I know, where are you now?**

_Garden balcony with Ash_

**Meet me in your room when you're done. We can start the goodbyes ;)**

Harry coughed, and squirmed a bit in his seat. He was going to be exhausted after this week. "Um, w-what were we saying?"

Ashton just shook his head with a knowing smirk. "Something tells me our conversation isn't going to be your main focus right now."

"Sorry." The prince said sheepishly.

"Yeah, yeah, go have fun with Louis."

+

Only moments later, Harry found himself being pushed against the door of his bedroom, Louis down on his knees in front. Louis was busy trying to open Harry's pants, while the prince panted and asked Louis as many questions as he could before they really got going. "W-what did the general say?"

"I leave in a week for survival training on Xandiir with nine other cadets." Louis rushed out, pulling Harry's stupidly tight pants down to his knees. "Won't be able to call of anything. I'll miss you so much, Prince Charming."

"I'll miss you too, Baby." Harry said, running his fingers through Louis' already messy hair.

Louis mouthed at Harry's dick through his black briefs, creating a wet spot from his tongue. He tugged them down, licking his lips at the sight of Harry's half hard cock. "And I'll miss _you_."

"Were you just talking to my penis?" Harry asked, trying not to laugh.

"Yup," Louis said, smirking up at the prince. He started to stroke it, slowly to tease, and then Louis licked all the way up from its base. He'd started to really love the feeling of Harry's cock fattening up in his mouth. He loved being the reason it got so stiff.

Louis' mouth surrounded the head as he felt one of Harry's hands push into his hair. The tug sent a surge of pleasure through Louis' body, and he sucked hard, then slowly le his mouth as far as it could go. He couldn't get Harry all the way in, not yet anyway, but he made up for it with his hands and tongue.

This gorgeous, thick cock was completely hard when Louis popped off, licking all around it while Harry moaned above him. "Harry, don't you come yet. Don't come until you're inside me."

"Shit," Harry grunted, his hips bucking up at the thought of pounding inside his Louis. "I won't, suck me a little more Baby, then I'll fuck you."

"Thank you Hazza," Louis hummed, as his mouth went back around Harry's cock. He bobbed his head slowly, to tease Harry and get him more riled up. Louis wanted to be fucked good, and this was the way to assure that. He could taste precum leak from Harry's cock, and he pulled off to lick it up, looking directly at Harry as he did.

" _Fuck_ ," Harry moaned, shoving his cock down Louis' throat one more rough time.

Louis choked, but he loved it, he loved when Harry got rough and dignified with him. " _Mmm!_ "

"On the bed, Starlight." Harry moaned, yanking Louis up from the ground. He kissed Louis, tasting himself on Louis' tongue, while his hand grabbed roughly at Louis' sides. "All fours, now."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Louis moaned, almost involuntarily. He threw of his shirt while he climbed onto the bed, and rolled over to his hands and knees.

Harry wasn't quick about removing the rest of his clothes, taking his time with it and admiring the view of Louis' ass in the air. He stood behind Louis, grabbing a cheek in each hand, before pulling down the underwear that was covering it. "I'm _really_ going to miss you."

"Are you talking to my arse?" Louis asked, both blushing and smirking.

"Yup," Harry said, parroting Louis' earlier statements. He gave Louis' ass a good smack for the hell of it, and grinned at the little squeak Louis released. "Like that Baby?"

"Yes," Louis moaned, wiggling his way close to Harry. "But I want you to fuck me, Majesty. Wanna feel your cock inside me."

Harry groaned, and stroked his cock over Louis' ass. "I'll give it to you, Baby. Give it to you good." The prince reached all the way over and grabbed their lube, but stared at the half full box of condoms. They went back and forth about using those, really depending on the mood. Today he would use one, because Louis didn't seem like he felt like cleaning that much. Harry slicked up his fingers, and used two in one go at first, startling Louis and making his body shake. "That okay Baby?"

"Y-yeah, M-majesty." Louis hummed. "Your fingers always feel so good. So _long_."

"Yeah?" Harry smirked, scissoring his fingers open and closed inside Louis. "You always feel god on me Louis, so warm and tight. Loose enough from last night, though."

"I-I know," Louis moaned, pressing his face into the pillows as he thought of their night together. "You can fuck me now, _please_ , Your Majesty. I-it won't hurt, I promise. Just please give me your cock."

"Oh _Baby_ ," Harry gasped at Louis' begging, so desperate for it. "I've got you Lou, I'll give it to you."

Prince Harry rolled on the condom and stroked some lube onto his cock, lining up with Louis' hole. He pushed in slow, all in one go, even though he could tell it was causing Louis discomfort. The first moments inside were always difficult, because of Harry's size. Louis whimpered into the pillow for a few seconds, then turned his head to the side and looked up at Harry. His eyes were bright and wet, cheeks flushed, while he bit his lower lip.

"So pretty," Harry whispered under his breath. "Can I fuck you now, Baby? Nice and hard right?" He asked, bracing his hands on Louis' hips. "Make sure you still feel me when I'm not there."

"Yes, yes fuck me like that, Your Majesty." Louis whined, fingers squeezing the sheets.

Harry grunted as he pulled his hips back, and snapped back in, hitting deep inside Louis' body. He continued at an even, but rough, pace hitting deep inside Louis as they moaned together. "So good Baby, fucking made for me." Louis continued to whimper under Harry's thrusts, unable to get a word out. "Feel good Lou?"

Louis nodded as best he could, pressing himself up on his hands for a new angle. " _Ahh!_ " Louis swore as Harry's cock hit directly onto his prostate, sending waves of pleasure through his body with every touch. "Th-there, Harry, _shit_."

The prince grunted and clenched his jaw as his orgasm grew closer, creeping up inside, while he drove into Louis. His hands made their way around to Louis' tummy, pressing down hard to leave little marks. He picked up his pace, ramming into Louis with purpose, then suddenly yanked Louis up against him. They moved easier like that, Harry's cock a constant pressure on Louis' spot, making the smaller man shout even louder.

Harry's lips kissed along Louis' sweaty neck, biting down here and there to stifle his own noises. Louis was in complete bliss, bouncing up and down against Harry, mouth dropped open from how good it felt. Every other sweet sound from Louis' mouth was the prince's name.

"Wanna come, Lou?" Harry moaned into Louis' ear, as he brought a hand up to Louis' cheek and turned his face to look into his eyes. "I want you to come before me."

Louis nodded, reaching back with one hand to scratch at Harry's neck, while the other started stroking his own cock. "Yes, fuck I want to come."

"Do it Louis," Harry said, snapping his lower body up harder. "Come on Baby, make yourself come."

Harry's tongue delved into Louis' mouth, kissing him messily as his eyes kept their gaze on Louis' cock. Louis whimpered and mewled into the kiss, eyes shutting suddenly as he squirted over his hand. " _Shit_ , Y-Your Majesty."

"B-beautiful," Harry groaned, pushing Louis back onto the bed as he thrusted in a few more times. coming with a cry of Louis' name. The prince took a few deep breaths as he came down, petting Louis' back as he pulled out, and tossed the filled condom into the trash. He sighed and fell onto his back onto the soft bed. " _Gods_ , Louis I--" Harry took a deep breath as he pulled Louis into his arms. "I love you, you know?"

"Yes I know, I love you too." Louis said, voice still coarse from having Harry's cock down his throat. "It's just a month, then I'll be in civilization, and we can talk every day."

"You'll cal me as soon as you get back, right? I want to be the first person you speak too." Harry said.

"Of course, Prince Charming," Louis insisted. He kissed along Harry's neck while the prince pulled the covers over them, both ready for a long nap. "I'll tell you everything when I get back. And you have to tell me how the trials go. I want those Grimshaws locked up for good."

"They will be, Louis." Harry said. "Let me worry about that. This week you just need to focus on being ready for survival."

"I will, I will." Louis yawned. "Hey, Haz?"

"Yeah?"

Louis bit his lip nervously, eyes blinking up at the sleepy prince. "Don't take this the wrong way, but when I depart this weekend, could you not be there, maybe?"

"What?" Harry asked, confused by Louis' request. "You  don't want me to say goodbye?"

"Of course I do!" Louis exclaimed. "But let's say goodbye here, and then let me go off alone. I want to do this on my own, without being directly associated with the prince."

Then Harry understood, because it was the association he couldn't escape back in his own training days. He knew Louis didn't want any special treatment, and he did want respect. Harry would do anything to give that to him. "I think I understand, but I don't know how you'll expect me to let you leave if you're in bed."

"Well, if you don't let me leave, then I'll never become your Fighter, and you'll be very lonely out in space." Louis quipped.

"Damn that's true." Harry sighed. "Just be careful out there."

+

Leaving Harry was harder than Louis thought, when that weekend rolled around. He sat on Harry's bed with a small bag of supplies and just watched the prince sleep. He was up much earlier than he needed to be, chalk it up to nerves and stress, and Louis really didn't want to go. But he looked at the clock, and saw that there was only about ten minutes until he had to be on the shuttle for Xandiir.

Louis sighed, and tapped on Prince Harry's shoulder a few times until he woke up. "Haz, I've got to go. Please wake up."

The prince stirred, moaning from being woken up, and he reached up with one of his pink colored hands to grab Louis'. He tried to pull Louis back down to the bed, but he resisted. Harry yawned, "I wish you didn't have to go so soon."

"I know, Harry." Louis sighed. He gave Harry one last kiss, the best he could to make up for how long they were going to be apart. "Love you."

"Love you too, good luck," Harry mumbled. He turned to his other side to watch Louis going. They shared one last loving look before Louis closed the door.

+

A month of no communication with Louis was exactly what Harry thought it would be; utterly terrible. He was mostly bored and depressed, and when he wasn't bored, Harry was sitting in the trials. There wasn't a lot Harry could do in the trials, because the people on trial were just commanders captured during the battle. Harry didn't have anything to do until Nick Grimshaw was captured, and there were a million places in the universe he could be.

Harry tried to focus more time thinking about Louis, rather than what his captor was doing. He could hardly fall asleep at night worrying about his lover. Survival training was brutal, and some soldiers almost died back when Harry did it. But Louis was so strong, and he'd helped Harry through so much, so the prince was sure Louis could make it.

Still, Harry counted the days until Louis would finish that and call him. He dreamed about the end of the year when they would reunite, and finally get to be partners together. Yet another part of Harry worried again that he might lose Louis then. They might go down in a battle again, but not make it that time. Harry's biggest fear was leaving Louis all alone on Xandar because he'd died. With the prince's luck so far during his time in SFI, that was entirely too possible.

It was Gemma who noticed how much Prince Harry had changed in only two weeks. He hardly talked to anyone, and his mind was somewhere else during all the trials. He showed almost no interest until the guides from their time on Osiris were brought in. Before he left, Louis told Gemma about his father, and all of the events that lead to them getting the cure. She felt so incredibly guilty, and she was the one who handled the Osiris trial directly.

Harry almost threw a fit when he saw the guides walk in. "You bastards! You killed Yondu!"

Gemma had Ashton subdue Harry, holding him back from outwardly attacking the men. "Everybody please stay calm! Harry, we know of all their crimes these men have committed, and I promise justice will be served."

Harry nodded, and he let Ashton hold him back, because there was no telling if he would snap again. The prince angrily listened while the men described why and how they betrayed the bounty group.

"And the missing member, Yondu Udonta, proclaimed dead by your people, what was his fate?" Gemma asked, and Harry actually stood up for this.

He couldn't wait to hear what they'd done to Louis' father, and only then he could really calculate a good punishment for them. But one of the guides just laughed. " _We_ did nothing to him directly. That man was shot at by the guards and arrested. Last I heard, he was no longer a problem to our world."

The princess rolled her eyes at the man's snarky attitude. "That is not a clear enough answer. Is Yondu alive?"

Again, the man smirked and snorted at her. "It did not happen by our hands, but to my understanding, no. Mr. Udantu is no longer alive."

Harry didn't need to hear any part of the trial after that. If there was any part of Harry that hoped Yondu might have miraculously escaped, it was shattered. He excused himself from Ashton's side and left the trial, joining a few guards on their way back to the palace. At least Louis already thought Yondu was dead, so no part of him could be met with more disappointment. Harry's heart still felt a little more broken.

+

The day Louis finished with survival training would be the day SFI finally apprehended Nicholas Grimshaw. But Harry didn't know that yet. All he knew was that in the mid-afternoon, he would finally get a call from Louis.

Harry locked the door to his bedroom so they wouldn't be interrupted, and waited very impatiently by his computer screen. The call from Louis was made and answered in under a millisecond. "Louis!"

" _Hi!_ " Louis said with a crinkly smile. He looked so exhausting, but happy to see Harry again. His eyes had dark circles under them, and his hair was matted a bit, but he was still so pretty in Harry's eyes. " _How've you been, Prince Charming?_ "

"Miserable," Harry cracked, smiling through it. He started to tear up from how overwhelmingly happy he was. "What about you? How tough was training?"

" _Not as bad as everyone described_." Louis said. " _I was mostly hungry during it, but we always managed to find just enough food to survive. Although, fighting off some of the jungle animals wasn't very fun. You've got some fucked up creatures on this planet_."

"I remember," Harry said as he recalled his training days. "And how was everyone's health? I remember there were a few scares when I did survival."

" _One girl got dehydrated for a bit, but a couple of us carried her to a spring. We ended up having to make a shelter there for a couple of days just until she could make it on her own_." Louis explained, pulling a few pieces of dried dirt from his hair.

"You haven't even changed or washed up, or anything yet?" Harry asked when he noticed the ratty condition of Louis' shirt.

" _Well in my defense, we were picked up from Xandiir, de-briefed on the flight back, and then sent straight to our room assignments when we got here_." Louis said, shrugging his shoulders. " _We all have assigned shower times too, which is bullshit, because now this room is going to stink._ "

Harry made a disgusted face as he looked in the background of Louis' image. "I remember those. They were so fucking small."

" _Tell me about it_ ," Louis groaned. " _I can barely fit just myself in here_."

"Well, I know for sure you can fit at least two people in one of those." Harry said with a smirk. "Of course, you'd have to be pretty much on top of each other."

" _What? How would you--_ " Then Louis stopped, because he realized what Harry meant. Louis started laughing, so loud he had to cover his mouth. " _Oh my god! Harry, did you fuck people in here?_ "

"A couple of people." Harry said, still smirking. "It wasn't as cramped as you would expect it to be."

Louis pulled a confused face as he started looking around the very tiny room. " _How--what positions... I don't get it! How could you have sex in here? And didn't the other soldiers hear you?_ "

"Found out pretty quickly that these rooms were sound-roof." Harry told him.

Louis stored that little nugget of information away for a later time. " _If you say so, slut._ "

"Rude."

" _Awe_ ," Louis cooed as he blew Harry a kiss. " _Enough about me, though. What have you been up to?_ "

"Helping with the trials. There's only a few left, and then father wants to start writing out a peace treaty." Harry said. He debated with himself whether it would be a good idea of not to tell Louis about the men from Osiris. He felt he had to be honest, but he didn't know if Louis could really handle a confirmation of Yondu's death. "Do you, um, do you remember the guides from Osiris?"

He could see Louis cringe through the screen. " _Yes, what about them?_ "

The prince took a deep breath. "Gemma ran their trial herself, and I was there for some of it. They've been sent away to s minor prison planet, because they weren't directly related to the invasion, but still had to do with me not coming home."

" _So, they've been locked up for life?_ " Louis quietly asked.

"Yeah, they'll never cause trouble again."

Louis nodded solemnly, biting his lip. "A-and Yondu? Is he--"

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud banging at Harry's door. He groaned loudly, and told Louis to wait while he answered. Behind the opened door was Harry's parents usual page, and he shoved a piece of paper in the prince's hands, then ran off down the hall. Harry found it odd, but he just shook his head and closed the door again.

"Sorry about that Lou," Harry said as he sat back down at the computer. He opened the paper and read the message, gasping at the words before him. "Oh my gods, Louis. Th-they found him. SFI found Grimshaw."

" _Fuck_ ," Louis gasped. " _Wh-what does this mean?_ "

"I'm going to be a witness during this." Harry said. He was dreading having to relive all of that business. "I'm going to have to tell everyone what happened."

" _You know... this is nothing to be embarrassed about, right?_ " Louis asked.

"I'm not embarrassed." Harry said, though he wasn't sure if that was a true statement. "Maybe I am, I don't know. I just hate reliving it, and I hate that everyone is going to know how... weak I was."

" _You are not weak_." Louis insisted, tone very stern in his voice. " _You had some bad luck, but you aren't weak. I mean, Gimshaw knocked you out when your back was turned, that makes him a coward._ "

"You're right, I know that," Harry sighed, tossing the paper onto his desk. "This would all be easier if you were here with me."

" _Couldn't agree more_." Louis said with a sigh. " _But you'll be fine. He's going to get what he deserves."_ Louis said as he looked above the camera to a wall clock _. "I have to go, or I won't get clean until tomorrow night. And that's just disgusting_."

"Alright Baby," Harry said. "When can we talk again?"

" _How does every night at ten sound?_ " Louis asked.

"Perfect Baby, will they really let you do that?"

Louis shrugged. " _We're supposed to be in our bunks by 9:30 every night, then lights out is eleven._ "

"Then, I'll see you every night at ten." Harry said with a fond smile. "I better let you go."

Louis nodded. " _Okay, love you_."

"I love you too." Harry said, and Louis cut off the call after blowing another kiss. However, as the realization that Nick was caught and Harry would have to face him, sank in, he started to feel a deep need for Louis. He wanted Louis at his side during the trials, just like he wanted Louis at his side always. Harry didn't know how he was going to make it through without his love.

+

The look on Grimshaw's face as he walked into the courtroom, accompanied by two guards, made Harry's stomach churn. He looked pretty much the same, which meant he was probably hiding out with other traitors, living luxuriously. The SFI captured him from a satellite just as he was attempting to escape. They found him among other such criminals, but didn't catch any other defectors from Xandar or Coruscant.

And this smirk. Like Grim was looking at the recovery soldiers and Harry as a victory for himself. It was almost as if he didn't care about the money he was paid, but rather genuinely supported Coruscant. Harry felt sick.

There were opening remarks from a high-ranking judge, and then Princess Gemma took her spot as center of the council. Harry sat with his parents in a private section of the court hall, nervously waiting for when his sister called him for witness. Louis left behind the old picture of him and Lottie, and Harry kept it in his pocket during the trial. He took it out for comfort a few times, just looked at Louis' young and smiling face, and it made all the nerves in Harry's body settle, for only moments.

"We call to the stand, victim and witness, His Royal Majesty Prince Harry Edward Styles." Gemma announced.

The prince stood on shaking legs, his mother the queen squeezing his hand one last time, before he walked up to the stand. Harry looked up at Gemma and her sympathetic smile, and then the other judges at the table. He could feel the looks from the other attendees, judging their weak prince. They were all probably thankful that he wouldn't be taking the crown, but Harry kept Louis' many words of encouragement in his heart, and he tried to remember that what happened wasn't his fault.

"Harry, please tell us exactly what happened the day you were captured." Gemma said in her soft test voice, reserved only for her baby brother. "And the events up until your rescue by Louis Tomlinson and company."

"Um," It was so long ago that Harry could hardly remember himself. "Well, it was a routine day for Grim and I. We were doing our usual route and were ready to break for mid-day, when he came up behind me," _Like a coward_ , Harry wanted to say. "And hit me in the head. I was unconscious so I'm not sure what he used, nor what happened immediately after the fact. When I woke up, it must have been days later, and Grim had met up with other, I assume, traitors while I was out. He'd tied me up and locked me in the storage section, gagged me when I started to call for help. That's when we got to Knowhere."

Gemma nodded with his story, and held up her hand to make him pause for a moment as she grabbed a file. "Knowhere was the home and mine property of the Tivan Family, namely the last descendent, Taneleer 'the collector' Tivan. Correct?"

"Yes, that's the one." Harry said, shuddering at the memory of Tivan's hungry stare. Who knew what that man would have done to Harry in time, had Louis not shown up. "I was sold to Tivan for some large amount, it's been so long I can't remember, then Grim left and Tivan put me in a tank among his collection. I didn't see Grim after that, and Tivan left me in the tank, until Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik broke me out. They, um, they also accidentally destroyed the Knowhere mansion, and killed Tivan in the process."

"Alright. That's a matter out of our control." Gemma stated, because she knew that if Tivan were alive, he would probably be on trial too. "And you are positive the man sitting in this room today is Nicholas Grimshaw, and he's the one who committed the crimes?"

Harry looked to his left, a cold, hardened glare met with a matching one form Grim. "I wouldn't easily forget the face of a man who I was supposed to trust my life with, only to betray me. Yes, that's him."

Grim rolled his eyes, completely over Harry's dramatics. Gemma and the council had heard all they needed from Harry, and he was allowed to step down. he was ready to just leave the courtroom entirely, let someone tell him the results later, but then another witness came in. A young girl with a frightened expression and pink skin. She didn't look at Harry as she was escorted to the stand, but Harry recognized her.

"Carina?"

"Please state your name for the council and your relationship with Taneleer Tivan." Gemma said.

"M-my name is Carina, I-I do not remember my last name." She said, her voice more timid than Harry remembered, but that was probably from the trauma. "I was born on the Xandar Province planet of Xandor. When my sister and I were just young girls, we were taken from our home and sold to T-Tivan as slaves."

"And you were there when my brother was sold to him?"

"Yes, M-Majesty. I-I would have helped, but Tivan made it very clear that my sister and I would suffer for it." Carina said, and Harry felt so bad. This poor girl wasn't on trial, and she was as much a victim as he was. "P-Prince Harry was sold to Tivan by that man," She pointed to Grim, "And locked up. He was held in a display above Tivan's throne. Where the best c-collection pieces were kept."

"And how long ago was the deal to buy Harry made before he was actually brought in?" Gemma asked.

"I-I heard about it a month before Prince Harry arrived. My mas--um, Tivan, had me prepare the display for him." Carina said shamefully.

"Thank you for your honesty." Gemma said. Carina was then allowed to step down, since they knew Grim had conspired to sell Harry for a longer time than originally thought. He might have even planned it as soon as they were assigned together for SFI.

Harry left this time, but only so he could follow Carina, and he caught up with her as she met with another girl. The prince recognized this girl to be the one that was trapped in the tank, only how she was in a wheel chair. It must have been Carina's sister. The girl's eyes widened and she sort of squealed at her sister when she saw Harry.

Carina turned around and gasped. "P-Prince Harry!"

He couldn't help it, he was never angry at her when in captivity, and he was so happy to see them alive. Harry hugged her, to Carina's surprise, as soon as he was close enough. "You're alive!"

"Y-yes, Prince Harry, th-thanks to you." Carina stuttered as she lightly hugged back. "I-I would have thought you'd hate me."

"Never," Harry said. He was hurting you too. And your sister, is this her?"

"Yes, this is Marina." She said, stepping aside so they could properly meet. Harry shook Marina's hand and gave it a kiss as he introduced himself, waiting for a reply that wouldn't come. "She hasn't spoken since we were girls, Your Majesty."

Harry felt even worse, and couldn't leave their fate into a stranger's hands. "Have you been able to reconnect with your family on Xandor?"

Carina's face fell to the floor. "N-no. We don't remember a thing about them. I'm afraid we have nowhere to go."

"No, I-I'll help you." Harry insisted. "I can't leave you on your own. We'll take DNA samples, and match you through that, it's worked for me before."

"Y-your Majesty, we c-can't--"

"Carina," Harry said gently. "Let me help you two, please."

The sisters exchanged a look, and Marina nodded. Carina held her hand and sighed. "O-Okay. Thank you, so very much."

"Good, good, let's go to the SFI lab," Harry said, walking around the sisters to push Marina's chair.

"Do you not want to stay for the rest of the trial?" Carina asked.

Harry just shook his head. "I really don't want to be around Grimshaw at alll. I'd much rather be helping you two, anyway."

 

 

 

That night, Louis was a few minutes late to their nightly call, but Harry waited patiently for him. He had so many things to talk about, with the trial and the sisters, and he missed Louis so much. It would all be easier to get through if Louis was there.

Finally, Louis answered, and he looked refreshed from a shower, wearing only a loose white shirt, and a smirk. " _Evening, Prince Charming_."

"Evening, Starlight." Harry said dreamily, mind buzzing from all of his news. "How was training today?"

Louis shrugged. " _Pretty easy, but I get your day was more exiting. How did the trial go?_ "

"Terrifying if I'm honest." Prince Harry sighed. "Nick just looked at me like I was still in his grasp. And I just... it felt like everyone listening was losing respect for me."

" _You know that isn't true_ ," Louis stated immediately. " _What you went through was scary. You were so brave during all of it_."

"I really love you a lot." Harry smiled. "You always know what to say."

" _I don't like to see your doubt yourself, not after everything we had to go through to get here._ "

Harry cleared his throat with a grunt. "Speaking of which, Carina was at the trial."

" _The girl Tivan enslaved?_ " Louis asked, eyes growing wide. " _Is she--what was she like?_ "

"Scared mostly." Harry frowned. "Tivan really did a number on her, and her sister. The sister can't even walk anymore."

" _Poor girl_."

"I know, and apparently they were taken from Xandor as kids, so they were pretty lost being here." Harry said. "But, I helped them get settled, they're staying in the castle until we locate family. Even after that I'm going to help them. I just feel so bad, you know?"

" _Your heart is almost too big for your chest_." Louis said fondly. " _What about Grim? What are they doing with him?_ "

"Just got the news before this call, actually." Harry said. "He's been sentenced to life on the KYLN. It's a floating prison used by a lot of planets for their worst criminals. I'm pretty sure his parents were stripped of their titles and banished to the out quadrant."

" _Good. It's what they all deserve_." Louis said. He looked over the screen at his bunk door, and then adjusted the angle of his camera so Harry could see more of the bed. " _Now, ask me why I'm in such a chipper mood._ "

Harry chuckled, rolling his eyes at the camera, "Why, dearest Louis, are in such a chipper mood?"

" _Because I've been thinking about you all day,_ " Louis said softly. " _I've been thinking about the trial, and how handsome you must have looked in such a professional setting. And now that I've heard, not only is your captor getting a good punishment, but you're also helping those girls, I'm very proud to call you mine..._ "

"Lou--"

" _Your Majesty_." Louis added on for good measure, as he began to slowly unbutton his shirt. " _These walls really are soundproof, right?_ "

Harry choked on air as Louis' body was presented to him. He was so weak for this man, honestly. "Y-yes. I'm sure of it."

" _Good. It would be quite the scandal if anyone found the Prince of Xandar jerking off while his boyfriend fingered himself._ " Louis said, chucking the shirt to the side and kneeling on the small bed.

Harry was a second away from just whining at his screen, when he saw that Louis was wearing a black jock strap. His ass looked so good, just how Harry remembered, and the prince wanted nothing more than to grab it. Squeeze it, maybe spank it a bit to watch it bounce. " _Gods_ , I love you so much."

Louis just giggled, and really, fuck him for that because it was so damn cute. " _Get your cock out, Your Majesty._ "

+

The day the peace treaty with Coruscant was finally signed and sealed, Louis had only three more months until he returned home. It was also the same day that Liam sent Harry a message to tell him that Sophia was expecting their second child.

+

A week later, Niall and Zayn held the first championship pod race tournament as official owners of the track. Gemma and Ashton attended as their special guests.

+

A custom every year when the ensigns are graduated and training was complete, was to throw a large royal banquet. The soldiers have a day to return home to loved ones, and then they are brought back with them to celebrate. Harry remembered attending the banquets, hosted at the palace, and waiting for the day he would be honored. When his day finally arrived, however, he found that it was pretty lonely, and he wanted to skip ahead to the part where he got his assigned Fighter and went to battle. 

This one would be different, because this one was for Louis, who the prince hadn't seen in person for a year. And Harry was going out of his mind waiting on the palace steps, with the SFI shuttle expected any minute. The King and Queen were out with planners to organize the banquet, and Ashton was giving a speech at NOVA Corps office, to return later that evening. So, Harry was left only with Gemma to keep him as sane as possible. She wasn't that much help, however, because she just watched him pace and jump at any passing vehicle, laughing at her baby brother.

"Harry, you're going to make yourself pass out," Gemma giggled, grabbing her brother by his shoulders. "I know you're excited, but calm down. Louis will be home any minute."

He smiled a little when Gemma referred to the palace as Louis' home, because it would be. Once they were partnered together, they would have to call the palace home, and it would be the place they returned to when tours were over. Harry gave Louis a real home, for the first time in his life. "I just miss him so much."

"Of course you do," Gemma said sweetly. She pulled her brother into a hug, and just as Harry closed his eyes, the shuttle landed at the bottom of the steps. "You won't miss him for much longer."

Harry, still with Gemma in his arms, turned his head and saw Louis step out of the shuttle, duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He looked different, that was for sure, with much darker tan skin, longer hair, more muscular arms, and his beard had grown in again. The latter fact must have bothered Louis so much, because Harry knew how he hated when he wasn't clean-shaven. Then Louis turned around to wave goodbye to some of the other soldiers, and Harry whimpered at how good Louis' ass looked. Definitely bigger than when he left. It was so weird seeing Louis like this, because even through the computer he looked the same, but now in person he didn't. He was older, more rugged than before.

The prince's feet carried him down the steps and right to Louis, before either knew what was happening. He quickly picked Louis up and spun him in his strong arms. "Baby! Gods, it's so good to see you again!"

"You too, Prince Charming," Louis sighed, tucking his face into Harry's neck. "And how has my little prince been faring without me?"

"Little?" Harry laughed, "Lou, I'm lifting you off your feet and you're only at my eyeline."

"Don't sour the reunion, Haz." Louis huffed, kissing the prince's neck lightly. "Gimme a kiss, please."

How could Harry say no to that? He set Louis on the ground and grabbed his cheeks, pulling the man into a deep kiss. A kiss that he hadn't felt in too damn long, Louis' soft lips moving against his, perfect unison like always. All the love and hopeful feelings Harry had in him went into this kiss, and Louis felt the same. When the prince pulled out of the kiss, Louis chased his lips without realizing. It was like a drug, kissing each other, and they were addicted. Harry laughed, breathlessly, at Louis, kissing his cheek instead. "I've missed that so much."

"Everything," Louis said. "I've missed everything. Just seeing you through a screen was barely enough for me."

""I know, but now it's done, and you're gonna be stuck with me." Harry smirked, linking their hands together. "I quite like the new look, by the way."

" _Ugh_ ," Louis groaned, scratching his neck with his free hand. "Seriously? It's such a bother, and I honestly look homeless."

"You do _not_ ," Harry said. "It's handsome."

"Enjoy it while I have it, because I'm shaving tonight." Louis said.

"What about your hair? It's longer too," Harry said, letting go of Louis' hand to brush through the light brown locks.

"Also going." Louis said. "It's not as majestic as yours is, Hazza."

"I think you're beautiful either way." Harry hummed. They got to the top of the steps, and Harry let go of Louis so his sister could hug him. "I promise everyone else wanted to be here, but they had other obligations. We'l see them at the banquet."

"Fine with me." Louis said, giving Gemma's cheek a kiss. "Don't want your parents seeing me all roughed up like this anyway."

"It really doesn't look that bad."

Gemma started laughed as she brushed down some of Louis' hair. "You only say that because you want to fuck him."

Even though his cheeks were burning red from her comment, Louis laughed with Gemma. "She's so right."

"No she's--ugh," Harry groaned and stepped between the two of them, his arms going over both their shoulders. "Let's just get Louis reacquainted with the old palace."

+

"Are you ready?" Harry asked Louis while they stood outside the entryway to the banquet. They would've been in matching formal uniforms, but the banquet was always a little less formal, and SFI members got to wear civilian clothes. Harry had on sparkly boots to match his sparkly black shirt, open to the third button down. Louis had on the same clothes he wore his first day at the palace, face shaved and hair cut, but looked beautiful as ever.

"Not really," Louis said as he peaked through the small window again at all the guests. "I should be out there already."

"No," Harry said as he walked up behind Louis and wrapped his arms around him. "You belong right here with me. I promise it isn't as embarrassing as it sounds."

"Is this how it always feels for you?" Louis asked. "The whole, being judged for being a royal thing?

"Yeah," Harry shrugged. "But with some helpful words from you, I learned that what they thought didn't matter. Plus, I earned their respect, and you will too."

"Don't know how." Louis mumbled. "I'm not even a royal and I'm being announced with them."

"Because you're mine." Harry whispered, kissing the back of Louis' neck, hands moving around to Louis' tummy. "You deserve all of this, okay? They know that you've already done more heroic acts than they have, and that was without SFI training."

"Yeah, it was Yondu training," Louis said, voice going sad. He still tried not to think about Yondu too much, because the memory of his death was painful. it was a year ago, but the thought still burned.

"He'd be so proud of you, you know that?" Harry said, more than asked. "I wish I got to know him more, but I know that he loved you, very much."

"Yeah, you're right." Louis sighed, turning in Harry's arms. He kissed his prince, like in a fairy tale, and stood on his toes for a better angle. "What if... what if something went wrong, and we aren't assigned to be together?"

"Don't worry about that."

"Don't _say_ that." Louis groaned, squeezing tightly onto Harry's shoulders. "We don't get the announcement until tomorrow, and there's no way I can get _this_ much special treatment."

"It isn't special treatment when you've _earned_ it," Harry said. "But if you must know, and I had planned on telling you tomorrow, but we've already been assigned together."

"How do you know?" Louis asked, brow raised.

"I signed us up for a special team, something completely new." Harry said. "It's an exploration team, created to chart out new parts of space that our province has never seen. Out of this galaxy even."

"You... signed us up to be explorers?" Louis asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I thought it would be fun, and better than doing the same old thing over and over again." Harry said. "Does that sound like something you'd want to be a part of?"

"Travelling unknown, deep space with the love of my life?" Louis giggled, adorably. "Yeah, that interests me a lot."

"Good," Harry hummed, connecting their lips again. He didn't have very long to kiss Louis, however, because a squire came in to retrieve them.

"Sir? It is time to present you two."

"Okay, thank you," Harry said, nodding his head to the man. He linked his arm with Louis' and walked them over to royal entry way. "They're really not going to care, by the way. If anything, being the boyfriend of the prince will only make all of them kiss your ass."

"Well," Louis sighed, because Harry was right. During training the other officers were always nice to Louis. "No offense to any of them, but the only person I want kissing my ass is you."

"Awe," Harry cooed, then right before the doors were opened, he whispered to Louis. "Maybe I will later tonight."

"Presenting! His Royal Highness, Prince Harry Edwards Styles, and his escort for the evening, Graduating Star Fight Initiative Officer Louis William Tomlinson."

Louis' face was still red from the comment that Harry had made before they walked out. The cheers from the other banquet attendees only mad the blush brighter, and he looked almost as pink as some of the people in the room. "You're the worst," Louis whispered as they walked out to the party.

 

 

 

As the evening wore on, Louis and Harry danced, are the most delicious food Louis had ever had in his life, and met so many dignitaries. Sometimes Louis forgot that the Xandar Province was so big, and had many minor royal families from many countries. Louis must have met at least ten new kings and allies of the Styles family, in only a few minutes.

When the pair became tired of dancing, Harry took Louis over to the refreshments table and was about to tell him something, when he paused. Harry patted down a few of his pockets, looking for something, but he couldn't seem to find it, "Um, Louis you'll have to excuse me for a moment, I... I can't find something."

"What can't you find?"

The prince looked at Louis nervously, frowning and biting his lip. "I can't, well, it's a surprise..."

"Oh," Louis said with a slight smile. "For me, I hope?"

"Of course," Harry said, laughing nervously. "Let me go check my coat, it's probably in there."

"Alright, I'll wait here," Louis said, curious about what the surprise could be. Harry already secured a spot together in SFI, and then wasn't anything else Louis really wanted. He turned around to the bar and ordered something non-alcoholic, because he wasn't about to get piss drunk in front of all the royals.

Not even a minute after Harry left, Louis was joined by a new person, someone he didn't know. "So you're the boyfriend then?"

Louis jumped at the sudden deep voice next to him, and almost spilled his drink. "Oh! Uh, yeah? Who's asking?"

The man, with purple skin and a muscular build, laughed to himself. "Sorry, my name's Aiden Grimshaw."

"Um--"

"No, not the same family as those people." He said, addressing the traitors of the crown. "My family makes weapons for SFI and NOVA Corps."

"Oh, well thanks for your work then," Louis said, suspicious of the man's intentions.

"No problem." Aiden said as he sipped from his own drink. "So, how does someone like you end up with Harry? He's a bit of an odd little prince."

"He's great, actually." Louis said, frowning at Aiden. "Best man I know at the moment."

"Didn't mean to offend," Aiden said, throwing his empty hand up in defense. "He's just a bit of a posh kinda guy. Sort of up on his high horse it seems. Back in school he was always so private."

"He's misunderstood," Louis said, surprised to hear this Aiden went to school with Harry. "Being the prince means he's got a lot going on in his life, you know."

"Oh sure," Aiden said as he began to smirk at Louis, in a way that made Louis uncomfortable. "But does he ever loosen up? Do you ever get to have any real fun with him."

Just as Aiden's hand touched Louis' arm, Harry was back, and he was not happy about this sight. "Grimshaw. Such a pleasure to see you tonight."

"On the contrary," Aiden coughed, pulling his hand back. "The pleasure must be mine, to be invited to this event."

"Right, well I have to take Louis away, I'm afraid. We've got something to talk about... in the garden." Harry said tensely, but his hand was gentle when he pulled on Louis' arm.

"Um, excuse us Aiden," Louis said with a fake smile, and the man shrugged as they left. When they were at the garden gates, Louis dropped his hand to hold Harry's, and they walked together over the stone path. Louis stopped them when they came upon a bush of purple and pink flowers, ones he'd loved since Harry first showed him the garden. "So, what was that about? Are all Grimshaws assholes?"

"In my experience, yes." Harry chuckled. "He was an old rival in school, always wanted to be one of the noble kids, but his family just make weapons. If he wasn't so damn bitter about status, we could have been friends."

"Shame, but I defended your honor well enough." Louis said happily, straightening out the collar of Harry's shirt. "Did you find that surprise then?"

"Right!" Harry jumped, fumbling into his pocket like before. "I did, actually! Hold on--I--"

He was interrupted by the sound of girlish giggling on the other side of the garden path. They both frowned and peaked around the flowers, and Louis nearly burst out laughing when they saw Gemma and Ashton. The royal couple were kissing against a pear tree, and though Harry loved them both, he was ready to claw his own eyes out. Just as Ashton began kissing down Gemma's neck, the princes spotted them, but instead of looking embarrassed, she only looked more excited. The princess was incredibly drunk.

"Harry! And Louis!" She squealed as she pushed Ashton off her and ran to the other couple. "I know why you're out here, in the most romantic place in the palace." She giggled at them. "Congratulations Louis! Official Consort of the prince! Well--not _official,_ because we haven't done the ceremony and--"

"Gem!" Harry snapped, looking like a deer in headlights. " _I haven't asked him yet_."

"Oh," Gemma gasped, hand covering her mouth as her eyes darted between the two men. "S-sorry! We'll just... just go..."

Ashton rolled his eyes and pulled Gemma along, hopefully to their room for the evening. As they left, he shouted over his shoulder, "Good luck Hazza!"

Louis was stunned, frozen completely in place with his jaw dropped. "H-Harry?"

"Um..." Harry cleared his throat, and tugged Louis over so they were sitting on a lone bench. The item he'd lost earlier was sitting in the palm of his left hand, a tiny black box. "So, this is incredibly old fashioned, and I realize that, but here on Xandar we have this tradition. It's like, when a member of the royal family would like to court somebody not of noble blood, we have to give it a title. It's... it's also a sort of promise of _future_ things, and... I don't want to scare you off, but... yeah."

"Harry? Please get to the point." Louis urged.

"I... want you to be my Consort. Which is just a fancy term for non-royal boyfriend in our case... but it also means someday... we would be," Harry took a deep breath and couldn't even look at Louis for the next part. "Married. Not _soon_ , not even in a year or anything, but eventually... you would be the one I marry."

"So becoming your Consort is like, um, a _pre_ -proposal?" Louis asked, heart racing and shouting at him to just say yes already.

"Yes, that's pretty much what it is."

"Oh _Harry_ ," Louis' breath hitched while he tried not to cry from all the happiness bursting inside. "Yes then. Of course I'm going to do this, be your Consort. Anything for you, my Prince Charming."

"Fuck Louis, I love you, thank you." Harry said as he pulled Louis in for a sweet kiss. With his other hand, Harry pushed the tiny black box into Louis' hand. "This is the family crest in here, you can wear it on a necklace or a pin, whatever you want. It's just a symbol of your new status."

Louis slowly opened the box and picked up the small gem inside. It was an emerald, engraved with tiny gold lines and a fancy looking S in the middle, for _Styles_. "It's beautiful... but you know if we get married, I'm gonna have to make you hyphenate your last name."

Harry laughed again at Louis, kissing his cheek. "We can make a while new last name if we get married, Starlight. As long as it happens at all someday."

"Sure Hazza, in some mystery number of years, I'll marry you." Louis said, ending the proposal with a kiss, to rival any other.

+

"Exploration Team Alpha! Branch off at will, and make your reports by the end of the day." The commander shouted to the SFI troops, while they all stood in their duo teams by their ships.

Harry and Louis boarded their ship before the other teams did, both eager to just go out and explore already. Their assignment was to break out of the galaxy entirely and find a new one last the first quadrant. They had to observe and report, but more importantly, they couldn't be seen nor interfere with civilization progress. Basically stay out of trouble, which wasn't something that came easily to the prince nor his new Consort.

They would do their best, however, to not let each other get hurt, or captured, like before. A promise they made to each other right before lift-off, and also every single day prior to that.

Now, floating along in open space, trying to find their way to a forest meteor that was discovered by the lab, things were peaceful. Louis had finished setting their shields at half power, and Harry put the ship on autopilot in the direction of the meteor. Xandar, and all of the first quadrant were light years behind them, and the two were savoring the steadiness while they had it.

Harry was about to leave his spot at the Nav Chair, when he noticed something interesting in the telescope. "Lou? You might want to see this."

The telescope was very long rang, so what they were looking at was far enough away to not affect them, but it was beautiful. As Louis sat down in Harry's lap, the prince sent the image to their big screen. "Is that a star dying?"

"Yeah," Harry said, voice full of awe. It was a magical sight to behold, as the star slowly burnt out, and then exploded again in hundreds of bits and bright colors. The atmosphere around it swallowed itself up, and they both new it meant a black hole was about to form. "Beautiful."

"Yeah," Louis said, "But... still sad I guess."

"It's a new beginning for that solar system." Harry said as his arms wrapped around Louis' stomach. "And who knows where that black hole will lead to."

"Very true," Louis agreed, leaning back to give Harry's cheek a kiss. "We should make a note of its coordinates, so others will know to be careful, should they go near."

"Yeah, good idea." Harry said, punching the information into their database. "That's a pretty exciting first day on the job for us, I'd say."

"I know! Can't imagine we'll ever have a boring day with this, though." Louis said as he stood back up from Harry's lap, turning to face the prince. "And, I'm so glad I get to do this with you. My old job was... well pretty lonely."

"I know what you mean." Harry said with a faint smile, taking Louis' hands into his. "Didn't exactly have a friend on here with me before I met you."

"For all the bad that happened in my life, I'm glad it got me here, with you Prince Charming," Louis sighed, leaning down to kiss Harry. "I love you."

The prince let out a content, satisfied breath as their kiss ended, and rested his head against Louis' tummy. "I love you too."

Suddenly, there was an alert going off on the miniscreen in Harry's pocket. He clumsily reached around to grab it, hoping it wasn't a home emergency, but instead found some weird code flashing on the screen. He turned it to Louis, whose eyes widened as he snatched the screen out of the prince's hands. " _No_ , this... this is impossible."

Harry stood up when he heard the amount of distress in Louis' voice, and stared at the screen again. "I-I don't understand, what do those symbols mean?"

"They're--" Louis choked on his words as he looked up at Harry with wet eyes. "They're a code Yondu and I use, only us."

"You mean... this is from him?" Harry asked, voice full of confusion and disbelief. "Lou... that's not possible. The men from Endor said he was dead."

"He must not be!" Louis snapped, knowing they either lied, or really thought Yondu was dead. "This is a coordinate, in a code we made up and taught to nobody else. It's him, it... it has to be."

"Okay, just stay calm Lou," Harry said as he rearranged some settings in the Nav port. "Go ahead and put it in. I believe you."

Louis copied the new coordinate into the port, and the system located it. "Where the fuck is that coordinate?"

"It's in uncharted space... way outside our recorded parameters." Harry said quietly.

Louis' face scrunched up with confusion. "How did he send a message from there? Or at all? If it really is Yondu?"

"No idea but... technically this team was made for this kind of exploration. We would have made it out there at some point anyway..." Harry started.

Louis' heart almost stopped. "Haz... what are you saying?"

Harry pulled Louis close by his hips and looked into his eyes as he said. "How would you feel about going on another rescue mission?"

(Scene fades to black. Star Wars theme plays. The End)

**_FIN_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [What Happens After](http://the-cheshire-pussy-cat.tumblr.com/post/118433075342/gays-in-space-2-the-sequel)

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any questions about the story for me, you can ask them at [my tumblr](http://the-cheshire-pussy-cat.tumblr.com/ask). I'll try to answer as best I can, as long as it doesn't give away any spoilers.
> 
> And don't forget to leave comments and kudos :)
> 
>  
> 
> [And here's the tumblr masterpost if you wanted to reblog it](http://the-cheshire-pussy-cat.tumblr.com/post/101500521762/the-galaxys-edge-summary-in-which-louis-is-a)


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